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THE 



FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



By L. MARIA CHILD. 



O dark, sad millions, — patiently and dumb 
Waiting for God, — your hour, at last, has come, 

And Freedom's song 
Breaks the long silence of your night of wrong. 

John G. Whittier. 




" BOSTON: 
TICKNOR AND FIELDS, 

1865. 



H- h 



t_IS5 
.G5.3 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by 

L. MARIA CHILD, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



University Press : Welch, Bigelow, & Co., 
Cambridge. 



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^ 

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^^^ 



TO 
THE LOYAL AND BRAVE 

CAPTAIN ROBERT SMALL, 

Hero of the Steamboat Planter^ 
THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY 

L. MARIA CHILD. 



TO THE FREEDMEN. 

I HAVE prepared this book expressly for you, with 
the hope that those of yon who can read will read 
it aloud to others, and that all of you will derive fresh 
strength and courage from this true record of what col- 
ored men have accomplished, under great disadvantages. 

I have written all the biographies over again, in order 
to give you as much information as possible in the fewest 
words. I take nothing for my services ; and the book is 
sold to you at the cost of paper, jDrinting, and binding. 
Whatever money you pay for any of the volumes will be 
immediately invested in other volumes to be sent to freed- 
men in various parts of the country, on the same terms ; 
and whatever money remains in my hands, when the book 
ceases to sell, will be given to the Freedmen's Aid Asso- 
ciation, to be expended in schools for you and your chil- 
dren. 

Your old friend, 

L. MARIA CHILD. 



CONTENTS. 





Author. Pagb 


Ignatius Sancho 


L. Maria Child 


I 


Extract from the Tenth Psalm .... 


12 


Prejudice Reproved 


Lydia H. Sigoicrney 


13 


Benjamin Banneker . 


L. Maria Child 


14 


Ethiopia 


Frances E. W. Harper* 


24 


The Hour of Freedom 


William Lloyd Garrison 


25 


William Boen 


L. Maria Child . 


26 


Anecdote of General Washington .... 


31 


Prayer of the Slave . 


Bernard Barton . 


32 


Toussaint l'Ouverture 


L. Ma7'ia Child 


^33 


The Aspirations of Mingo . 


Mingo, a Slave* . 


84 


Bury Me in a Free Land 


Frances E. W. Harper * 


85 


Phillis Wheatley . 


L. Maria Child 


86 


A Pertinent Question 


Frederick Douglass * 


93 


The Works of Providence . 


Phillis Wheatley* . 


94 


The Dying Christian 


Frajices E. W. Harper * 


96 


Kindness to Animals . 


L. Maria Child 


97 


James Forten .... 


L. Maria Child . 


lOI 


The Meeting in the Swamp 


L. Maria Child 


104 


A Reasonable Request 


Peter Williams* . 


no 


The Slave Poet . . 


George Horton, a Slave* 


III 


Ratie 


Mattie Griffith . 


114 


The Kingdom of Christ 


James Montgomery 


123 



Progress of Emancipation in the 

British West Indies . . Z. Maria Child . 124 

* The names of the colored authors are marked with an asterisk. 



VI 



CONTENTS. 



The Last Night of Slavery James Montgomery 
Madison Washington . . Z. Maria Child . 
Extract from the Virginia Bill of Rights 



Praise of Creation 
Frederick Douglass . . 
How THE Good Work goes on 
Dedication Hymn 
A Prayer .... 
WiixiAM and Ellen Crafts 

Spring 

The Good Grandmother . 
The Colored Mother's Prayer 
William Costin 
Education of Children . 



George Horton * 
L. Maria Child 

• • • 

y. M. Whitefield* 
John G. Whittier 
L. Maria Child 
George Horton * 
Harriet Jacobs * 



L. Maria Child 



146 

147 
154 

155 

156 

176 
177 

178 

179 

20^ 

206 

219 

220 



221 

Thank God for Little Children Frances E. W. Harper* 226 



Sam and Andy .... 

John Brown .... 

The Air of Freedom . 

Emancipation in the District 
OF Columbia .... 

The Laws of Health . 

President Lincoln's Proclama- 
tion of Emancipation . 

New- Year's Day on the Islands 
of South Carolina 

Song of the Negro Boatmen at 
Port Royal, S. C. 

Extract from Speech to Col- 
ored People in Charleston 

Extract from Speech to Col- 
ored People in Charleston 

Black Tom 

Letter from a Freedman 

Colonel Robert G. Shaw. 

Advice from an Old Friend 

Day of Jubilee .... 



Harriet Beecher Stowe 227 

Z. Maria Child . 241 

Frances E. W. Harper * 243 

James Madison Bell* 244 

Z. Maria Child . 246 

Frances E.W. Harper* 250 

Charlotte L. Forten* . 251 



John G. Whittier . 

Hon. Henry Wilson 

Hon. Judge Kelly . 
A Yankee Soldier 
Joiirdon Anderson* 
Eliza B. Sedgivick 
Z. Maria Child 
A. G. Duncan . 



2S7 

259 

261 
263 
265 
268 
269 
277 



THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



IGNATIUS SANCHO. 

BY L. MARIA CHILD. 

THIS was the name of a remarkable African, who 
excited a good deal of interest in his day. His 
father and mother were stolen from Africa and put on 
board a slave-ship in 1729, which was one hundred and 
thirty-six years ago. He was born during the passage, 
and when the vessel arrived at Carthagena, in South 
America, he was baptized by the name of Ignatius. His 
mother died soon after, and his father, seeing no means 
of escape from slavery, killed himself in a fit of despair. 
The man who took possession of the little orphan, and 
claimed to be his master, carried him to England, and 
gave him to three unmarried sisters who lived at Green- 
wich. He was then about two years old, a bright, lively, 
funny little creature. As he grew older, he showed such 
an inquisitive mind, said so many droll things, and was 
so full of mischief, that the ladies named him Sancho, 
after a very comical character in a famous old Spanish 
novel. He was very eager in the pursuit of knowledge ; 
but this commendable disposition was not approved by 
the ladies. They thought that all a black servant had 
occasion to know was how to obey orders, and that it 
was not necessary or proper for him to learn to read 
and write. But nature had given Ignatius a very lively 



2 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

mind, and a very susceptible heart, and neither of them 
could be kept quiet. He early plunged into love affairs, 
and was always overrunning with fun and frolic. Doubt- 
less he was a great trial to the respectable maiden ladies, 
who were training him for a servant ; and he, on his part, 
thought them very sour, severe, and disagreeable. Some- 
times, when they were angry with him, they reminded 
him that he had been a slave, and threatened to send 
him into slavery again. This excited uneasiness in his 
mind, and kindled resentment. 

The Duke of Montagu lived in the neighborhood, and 
his attention was attracted by the bright, frank coun- 
tenance of the black boy. He entered into conversation 
with him occasionally, and was so much struck by his 
intelligence and wit, that he told the ladies their servant 
was a remarkable lad, and that his earnest desire to im- 
prove his mind ought to be gratified. They persisted in 
their opinion that knowledge was a very improper and 
dangerous thing for a black servant. But the Duke in- 
troduced him to the Duchess, and they both encouraged 
him to learn to read and write. They lent him books, 
and were greatly entertained by his bright remarks con- 
cerning what he read. 

It was a great grief to Ignatius when the friendly Duke 
died. He besought the Duchess to receive him into her 
service, and she consented. He remained in her house^ 
hold as long as she lived. At her death, she left him an 
annuity of about one hundred and fifty dollars a year ; 
and he had three hundred and fifty dollars, which he had 
laid up from his wages. He might have made this sum 
the foundation of a comfortable little property. But na- 
ture had made him very full of fun and frolic. He had 
such lively manners, and uttered so many pleasant jokes, 



IGNATIUS SANCHO. 

that his company was much sought for. This proved a 
temptation too strong for him. He accepted invitations 
to go to taverns, where he gambled away his earnings. 
He had a great passion for going to the theatre ; and 
his conduct with regard to women was far from being 
correct. 

But he soon saw the error of his ways, and resolved 
to reform. He went to the Chaplain of Montagu House, 
and beo-ged to be taken into his service, where he re- 
mained several months. The descendants of his old 
friend, the Duke, encouraged him to persevere in his 
good resolutions ; and when the young Duke saw that 
he continued sober and industrious, he took him into his 
employ. By the blessing of the Heavenly Father, an- 
other saving influence came to help him into the paths 
of virtue. He formed a serious attachment for a very 
worthy young Avoman from the "West Indies, to whom he 
was soon after married. He remained in the employ of 
the Duke of Montagu until he was about forty-four years 
old. Frequent attacks of the gout, and clumsiness re- 
sulting from an hereditary tendency to corpulence, ren- 
dered him unfit to continue in the service to which he 
had so long been accustomed. His good friend and 
patron the Duke assisted him to establish a small shop 
for groceries. By economy and industry, he and his 
good wife managed to rear and educate well a numerous 
family of children. 

He always retained his love of learning, and was such 
a diligent reader, that he was well acquainted with the 
current literature of that time. He was treated with 
respect and attention by many intelligent and educated 
people. Though not so full of fun as he was in his 
younger days, his conversation was entertaining. The 



4 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

letters he wrote to various persons abound with good 
sense, and show that he was very affectionate and de- 
voted as a husband and father. He evidently regarded 
his wife as the best blessing of his life. In one of his 
letters to a friend he says : " The hot weather does not 
befriend Mrs. Sancho, but time will, I hope. If true 
worth could plead exemption from pain and sickness, she 
would, by right divine, enjoy the best of health." On 
another occasion he writes : " I can compare her to noth- 
ing so properly as a diamond in the dirt. But, my 
friend, that is Fortune's fault, not mine ; for had I the 
power, I would case her in gold." Years later, he 
writes : " Dame Sancho would be better in health, if she 
cared less. I am her barometer. If a sigh escapes me, 
it is answered by a tear in her eye. I often assume 
gayety to illume her dear sensibility with a smile, which 
twenty years ago almost bewitched me, and which still 
constitutes my highest pleasure. May such be your lot, 
my friend. What more can friendship wish you than 
to glide down the stream of time with a partner of con- 
genial principles and fine feelings, whose very looks speak 
tenderness and sentiment." 

After a severe illness he wrote to a friend : " I had ex- 
cruciating pains and great lack of patience. Mrs. Sancho 
had a week of it. Gout did not sweeten my temper. It 
was washing week, and she had to attend the shop. God 
bless her, and reward her. She is good ; good in heart, 
good in principle, good by habit." 

The children appear to have been the delight of his 
heart. He called them " Sanchonettas," which would 
be the Italian way of saying Little Sanchos. He was 
never tired of describing their little winning ways. At 
the end of a letter to one of his friends he wrote : " Lydia 



IGNATIUS SANCHO. 5 

trots about amazinglj' ; and Kitty imitates her, with this 
addition, that she is as mischievous as a monkey." But 
little William, his youngest, was evidently his pet. To 
another of his friends he wrote : " You cannot imaorine 
what hold little Billy gets of me. He grows, he prattles, 
every day he learns something new. The rogue is fond 
of me to excess. By his good-will he would be always 
in the shop with me. The little monkey ! He clings 
round my legs ; and if I chide him, or look sour, he holds 
up his little mouth to kiss me." 

Ignatius Sancho had a very kind heart. It hurt his 
feelings very much to see any animal tormented. He 
tried to get some laws passed to prevent cruel market- 
men from abusing their donkeys ; and he always tried to 
be a friend to everybody that was in distress. In one 
of his letters he says : " The joy of giving and of making 
happy is almost the attribute of a god. There is as much 
sweetness conveyed to the senses by doing a right good- 
natured deed as our frame can consistently bear." 

Such a disposition is better than a remarkable intellect. 
But he had a quick intellect also, and generally took 
sensible views of things. Writing to a young colored 
friend, who had been somewhat wild, he says : — 

"Look round upon the miserable fate of almost all of 
our unfortunate color. See slavery added to ignorance. 
See the contempt of the very wretches who roll in af- 
fluence from our labors. Hear the ill-bred, heart-rack in «• 
abuse of the ignorant vulgar. If you tread as cautiously 
as the strictest rectitude can guide you, you must suffer 
from this. But if you are armed with truth and con- 
scious integrity, you will be sure of the plaudits and 
countenance of the good. 

" You are a happy lad. You have kind benefactors, 



6 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

to whom you ought to look up with reverence, and hum- 
bly beg the Almighty to give you strength to imitate 
them in doing good. Your parts are as quick as most 
men's. If you urge your speed in the race of virtue 
with the same zeal you have exhibited in error, you will 
recover, to the satisfaction of your noble patrons, and to 
the glory of yourself. 

" Some philosopher, whose name I forget, wished for a 
window in his breast, that the world might see his heart. 
I recommend him to your imitation. Vice is a coward. 
To be trul}^ brave, a man must be truly good. You hate 
the name of cowardice; then detest a lie and shun liars. 
Be above revenge. If others have taken advantage 
either of your guilt or your distress, punish them only 
with forgiveness ; and if you can serve them at any 
future time, do it. 

" I sincerely congratulate thee upon thy repentance. 
It is thy birthday to real happiness." 

To one of the white gentlemen who liked to correspond 
with him, he wrote : — 

" There is something so amazingly grand and affecting 
in contemplating the works of the Divine Architect, 
either in the moral or the intellectual world, that I think 
one may rightly call it the cordial of the soul, the best 
antidote against pride and discontent. The friendly 
warmth of that glorious planet the sun, the leniency 
of the air, the cheerful glow of the atmosphere, make 
me involuntarily cry, ' Lord, what is man, that thou, in 
thy mercy, art so mindful of him ? or what is the son of 
man, that thou so parentally carest for him ? ' 

" Sometimes, when I endeavor to turn my thoughts 
inward, to review the powers or properties tlie indulgent 
all- wise Father has endowed me with, I am struck with 



IGNATIUS SANCHO. 7 

wonder and with awe ; poor, insignificant worm as I am, 
in comparison with superior beings, mortal like myself. 
At the head of our riches I reckon the power of reflec- 
tion. Where doth it lie ? Search every member, from 
the toe to the nose, — they are all ready for action, but 
they are all dead to thought. It is that breath of life 
which the Sacred Architect breathed into the nostrils 
of the first mart. We feel and acknowledge it, but it is 
quite past the power of definition. Then to think of the 
promise of never-ending existence ! To rise, perhaps, by 
regular progression from planet to planet, to behold the 
wonders of immensity, to pass from good to better, in- 
creasing in goodness, in knowledge, in love. To glory 
in our Redeemer, to joy in ourselves, to be acquainted 
with prophets, sages, heroes, and poets of old times, and 
to join in the symphony with angels." 

To a white young friend, who had obtained a situation 
in India, he wrote : — 

"It is with sincere pleasure I hear you have a lucrative 
establishment. Your good sense will naturally lead you 
to a proper economy, as distant from frigid parsimony 
as from heedless extravagance. As you may have some 
time for recreation, give me leave to obtrude my poor 
advice. I have heard it more than once observed of 
fortunate adventurers, that they come home rich in 
purse, but wretchedly barren in intellect. My dear 
Jack, the mind wants food as well as the stomach. 
Why, then, should not one wish to increase in knowl- 
edge as well as in money ? The poet Young says, — 

' Books are fair Virtue's advocates and friends.' 

My advice to you is, to lay by something every year to 
buy a little library. You have to thank God for strong 
natural parts ; you have a feeling, humane heart ; you 



8 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

write with sense and discernment. Improve yourself, my 
dear Jack. Then if it should please God to return you 
to your friends with a fortune, the embellishments of 
your mind may be ever considered as greatly superior to 
your riches, and only inferior to the goodness of your 
■heart. This is a good old adage: 'A few books and a 
few friends, and those well chosen.' " 

The same young friend wrote a letter to his father, 
from Bombay, in India, in which he wrote : " The inhab- 
itants here, who are chiefly blacks, are a set of canting, 
deceitful people, of whom one must have great caution." 

Ignatius Sancho was always ready to defend the de- 
spised and the oppressed, and his sympathy was all the 
more lively if they were of his own color. He at once 
wrote to his young friend : — 

" In one of your letters to your father, you speak with 
honest indignation of the treachery and chicanery of the 
natives of India. My good friend, you should remember 
from whom they learned those vices. The first visitors 
from Christian countries found them a simple, harmless 
people. But the cursed avidity for wealth urged those 
first visitors, and all the succeeding ones, to such acts of 
deception and wanton cruelty, that the poor, ignorant 
natives soon learned their knavish arts, and turned them 
upon their teachers. As a re.-ident of your country. Old 
England, I love it. I love it for its freedom. For the 
many blessings I enjoy in it England shall ever have 
my warmest wishes, prayers, and blessings. But I must 
observe, and I say it with reluctance, that the conduct of 
your country has been uniformly wicked in the East In- 
dies, in the West Indies, and on the coast of Guinea. The 
grand object of English navigators, and indeed of all the 
navigators of Christian nations, has been money, money, 



IGNATIUS SANCHO. 9 

money. Commerce was meant by the goodness of Deity 
to diffuse the various goods of the earth into every part ; 
to unite mankind with the blessed bonds of brotherly love 
and mutual dependence. Enlightened Christians should 
diffuse the riches of the Gospel of Peace together with 
the commodities of their respective lands. If commerce 
•were attended with strict honesty and religion for compan- 
ions, it would be a blessing to every shore it touched at. 

" The poor wretched Africans are blessed with a most 
fertile and luxuriant soil ; but they are rendered misera- 
ble by what Providence meant for a blessing. The 
abominable traffic in slaves, and the horrid cruelty and 
treachery of the petty kings, is encouraged by their Chris- 
tian customers. They carry them strong liquors, powder, 
and bad fire-arms to inflame them to madness, and to fur- 
nish them with the hellish means of killing and kidnap- 
ping. It is a subject that sours my blood. I mention 
these things to guard my friend from being too hasty in 
condemning a people who have been made much worse 
by their Christian visitors. 

" Wherever thou residest, make human nature thy 
study. Whatever may be the religion or the complex- 
ion of men, study their hearts. Let simplicity, kindness, 
and charity be thy guides ; and with these, even savages 
will respect you, while God will bless you." 

The writings of the Rev. Laurence Sterne, who was 
living in England at that time, were well calculated to 
inspire humanity toward animals and kindly feelings 
toward the poor. These writings were very popular, 
and two of the characters conspicuous in them, called 
Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim, were great favorites 
with the public. Ignatius Sancho especially delighted in 
the writings of Sterne; and in 1776, when he was about 
1* 



10 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

forty-seven years old, he addressed a letter to him as 
follows : — 

" Reverend Sir, — It would perhaps look like an in- 
sult upon your humanity to apologize for the liberty I 
am taking. I am one of those people whom the vulgar 
and illiberal call ' Negurs.' The first part of my life was 
rather unlucky, as I was placed in a family who judged 
ignorance to be the best and only security for obedience. 
By unwearied application I got a little reading and writ- 
ing. Through God's blessing, the latter part of my life 
has been truly fortunate, for I have spent it in the service 
of one of the best families in the kingdom. My chief 
pleasure has been books. How very much, good sir, am 
I, among millions, indebted to you for the character of 
your amiable Uncle Toby ! I declare I would walk ten 
miles, in dog-days, to shake hands with the honest Corpo- 
ral. Your sermons have touched me to the heart, and I 
hope have amended it. In your tenth discourse I find 
this very affecting passage : ' Consider how great a part 
of our species, in all ages, down to this, have been trod- 
den under the feet of cruel and capricious tyrants, who 
AYOuld neither hear their cries nor pity their distresses. 
Consider Slavery, what a bitter draught it is, and how 
many millions are made to drink of it.' 

" I am sure you will forgive me if I beseech you to 
give some attention to Slavery, as it is practised at this 
day in the West Indies. That subject, handled in your 
striking manner, would perhaps ease the yoke of many ; 
but if only of one, what a feast for a benevolent heart ! 
and sure 1 am, you are an Epicurean* in acts of charity. 

* Epicureans were the followers of u pliilosopher in ancient Greece 
who taught that pleasure was the great object in life, — an excellent 
doctrine, if confiaed to the highest kind of pleasure, which consists in 
doing good. 



IGNATIUS SANCHO. 11 

You, who are universally read and as universally ad- 
mired, could not fail. Dear sir, think that in me you 
behold the uplifted hands of thousands of my brother 
Moors. You pathetically observe that grief is eloquent. 
Figure to yourself their attitudes, hear their supplica- 
tions, and you cannot refuse." 

Mr. Sterne wrote the following reply : — 

" July 27th, 1766. 

"There is a strange coincidence, Sancho, in the little 
events of this world, as well as the great ones. I had 
been writing a tender tale of the sorrows of a poor, 
friendless negro girl, and my eyes had scarce done smart- 
ing with it, when your letter, in behalf of so many of 
her brethren and sisters, came to me. But why her 
brethren or your brethren, Sancho, any more than mine ? 
It is by the finest tints, and the most insensible grada- 
tions, that nature descends from the fairest face to the 
sootiest complexion. At which of these tints are the ties 
of blood to cease ? and how many shades lower in the 
scale must we descend, ere mercy is to vanish with them ? 

" It is no uncommon thing, my good Sancho, for one 
half of the world to use the other half like brutes, and 
then endeavor to make them so. For my part," I never 
look Westward, when I am in a pensive mood, without 
thinking of the burdens our brothers and sisters are there 
carrying. If I could ease their shoulders from one ounce 
of them, I declare I would this hour set out upon a pil- 
grimage to Mecca for their sakes. It casts a sad shade 
upon the world, that so great a part of it are, and have 
so long been, bound in chains of darkness and chains of 
misery. I cannot but respect you and felicitate you, 
that by so much laudable diligence you have broken the 



12 THE FPtEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

chains of dai'kness, and that by falling into the hands of 
so good and merciful a family,' you have been rescued by 
Providence from the chains of misery. 

" And so, good-hearted Sancho, adieu. Believe me, I 
will not forget your letter. 

" Yours, 

"Laurence Sterne." 

The last sickness of Ignatius Sancho was very pain- 
ful, but he was tenderly cared for by his good wife. He 
was fifty-two years old when he died. After his death, 
a small volume was published, containing a number of his 
letters, some articles he had written for newspapers, and 
an engraved likeness of him, which looks very bright and 
good-natured. The book was published by subscription, 
in which a large number of the English nobility and 
some distinguished literary men joined. 



EXTRACT FROM THE TENTH PSALM. 

" The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor. He 
hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten ; He hideth his 
face ; He will never see it. Thou hast seen it ; for thou 
beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand. 
The poor committeth himself unto thee ; thou art the 
helper of the fatherless. Lord, thou hast heard the desire 
of the humble. Thou wilt cause thine car to hear ; thou 
wilt prepare their heart to judge the fatherless and tlie 
oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more op- 
press." 



PREJUDICE REPROVED. 13 



PREJUDICE REPROVED. 

BY LTDIA H. SIGOURNET. 

GOD gave to Afric's sons 
A brow of sable dye ; 
And spread the country of their birth 
Beneath a burning sky. 

"With a cheek of olive He made 

The little Hindoo child ; 
And darkly stained the forest tribes, 

That roam our Western wild. 

To me He gave a form 

Of fairer, whiter clay ; 
But am I, therefore, in his sight, 

Respected more than they ? 

No ; — 't is the hue of deeds and thoughts 

He traces in his book ; 
'T is the complexion of the heart 

On which He deigns to look. 

Not by the tinted cheek, 

That fades away so fast. 
But by the color of the soul^ 

We shall be judged at last. 



14 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



BENJAMIN BANNEKER 



BY L. MARIA CHILD- 



THIS remarkable man was born near the village of 
Ellicott's Mills, Baltimore County, Maryland, in 
1732. That was one hundred and thirty-three years ago, 
when thei-e were very few schools and very few books in 
this country, and when it was not as easy as it now is for 
even white people to obtaui a tolerably good education. 
His parents were both black, and though they were free, 
they were too poor to do much for their bright boy. 
They sent .him to a school in the neighborhood, where 
he learned reading and writing and a little of arithmetic. 

His father was a slave at the time of his marriage, but 
his wife was a free woman ; and she was so energetic and 
industrious, that she soon earned money enough to buy 
his freedom. Then they woi'ked together, and earned 
enough to buy a few acres of land, and build a small 
cabin. 

Benjamin was obliged to labor diligently when he was 
at home from school, but every spare moment he could 
catch he was ciphering, and planning how to make 
things. As his parents grew old, he had to work early 
and late, to support himself and help them. His mother 
always continued active enough to do the in-door work. 
When she was seventy years old, if she wanted to catch 
a chicken she would run it down without appearing to be 
tired. The place was thinly peopled, and the few neigh- 
bors they had took no particular notice of Benjamin, 



BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 15 

though he had the name of being a bright, industrious 
lad. His hands worked hard, but his brain was always 
busy. He was particularly fond of arithmetic, and was 
always working out sums in his head. He took notice 
of everything around him, observed how everything was 
made, and never forgot one word of what he had learned 
at school. In this way, he came to have more knowledge 
than most of his white neighbors ; and they began to say 
to one another, " That black Ben is a smart fellow. He 
can make anything he sets out to ; and how much he 
knows ! I wonder where he picked it all up." 

At thirty years old, he made a clock, which proved an 
excellent timepiece. He had never seen a clock, for 
nobody in that region had such an article ; but he had 
seen a watch, and it occupied his thoughts very much. 
It seemed to him such a curious little machine, that he 
was very desirous to make something like it. The watch 
was made of gold and silver and steel ; but Benjamin 
Banneker had only wood for material, and the rudest 
kind of tools to work with. It was a long while before 
he could make the hand that marked the hours, and the 
hand that marked the minutes, and the hand that marked 
the seconds, correspond exactly in their motions ; but by 
perseverance he succeeded at last. He was then about 
thirty years old. This was the first clock ever made in 
this country. It kept time exactlj', and people began to 
talk about it as a wonderful thing for a man to do with- 
out instruction. After a while, the Ellicott family, who 
owned the Mills, heard of it, and went to see it. Mr. 
Elias Ellicott, a merchant in Baltimore, became very 
much interested in the self-taught machinist. He lent 
him a number of books, among which were some on 
astronomy, — a science which treats of the sun, moon, and 



16 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Ftars. Banneker was so interested in this new knowl- 
edge that he could think of nothing else. He sat up 
all night to watch the planets, and to make calculations 
about their motions. Mr. Ellicott went to see him to 
explain to him how to use some of the tables for calcu- 
lations contained in the books lie had lent him ; but he 
found, to his great surprise, that the earnest student had 
studied them all out himself, and had no need of help. 
It was not long before he could calculate when the sun 
or the moon would be eclipsed, and at what time every 
star would rise and set. He was never known to make 
a mistake in any of his astronomical calculations ; and 
he became so exact, that he pointed out two mistakes 
made by celebrated astronomers in Europe. 

In order to pursue his favorite studies without inter- 
ruption, he sold the land which his parents had* left him, 
and bought an annuity with the money, on which he lived 
in the little cabin where he was born. He was so tem- 
perate and frugal, that he needed very little to support 
him ; and when it was necessary to have more than his 
annuity, he could always earn something by going out to 
work. But, as he was no longer seen in the fields late 
and early, his ignorant white neighbors began to talk 
against him. Tliey peeped into his cabin and saw him 
asleep in the daytime. They did not know that he had 
been awake all night watching the stars, and ciphering 
out his calculations. In fact, they did not know that the 
planets moved at all ; and if he had told them that he could 
calculate their movements exactly, they would only have 
laughed at him. I suppose they felt some ill-will toward 
him because he was black, and yet knew so much more 
than they did ; and perhaps it excited their envy that the 
Ellicott family and other educated gentlemen liked to 



BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 17 

go to his cabin and talk with him about his studies and 
observations. 

But Banneker was wise enough not to enter into any 
quarrels because they called him a lazy, good-for-nothing 
fellow. He endeavored to live in such a way that they 
could not help respecting him. He was always kind and 
generous, ready to oblige everybody, and not at all in- 
clined to boast of his superiority. 

When he was fifty-nine years old, he made an Alma- 
nac. It is a very difficult job to calculate all about the 
changes of the moon, and the rising and ebbing of the 
tides, and at what time the sun will rise and set every 
day, all the year round ; and it was a much more diffi- 
cult task then than it is now ; because now there is a 
great improvement in astronomical books and instru- 
ments. But notwithstanding Banneker's limited means 
and scanty education, he made an excellent Almanac. 
It was published by Goddard and Angell of Baltimore. 
In a Preface, they say : " We feel gratified to have an 
opportunity of presenting to the public, through our 
press, what must be considered an extraordinary effort 
of genius, — a complete and accurate Ephemeris* for the 
year 1792, calculated by a sable son of Africa. It has 
met the approbation of several of the most distinguished 
astronomers of America ; and we hope a philanthropic 
public will give their support to the work, not only on 
account of its intrinsic merit, but from a desire to contro- 
vert the long-established illiberal prejudice against the 
blacks." 

This was the first Almanac ever made in this country. 
It contained much useful information of a general nature, 
and interesting selections in prose and verse. Before it 

* A daily journal of the state of the planets. 



18 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

was printed, Banneker sent a manuscript copy, in his 
own handwriting, to Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary 
of State, and afterward President of the United States. 
After apologizing for the hberty he took in addressing a 
person whose station was so far above his own, he says : — 

"Those of my complexion have long been considered 
rather brutish than human, — scarcely capable of mental 
endowments. But, in consequence of the reports that 
have reached me, I hope I may safely admit that you 
are measurably friendly and well-disposed toward us. 
I trust that you agree with me in thinking that one 
Universal Father hath given being to us all ; that He 
has not only made us all of one flesh, but has also, with- 
out partiality, afforded us all the same sensations, and 
endowed us all with the same faculties ; and that, how- 
ever various we may be in society or religion, however 
diversified in situation or color, we are all of the same 
family, and all stand in the same relation to Him. Now, 
sir, if thi* is founded in truth, I apprehend you will 
readily embrace every opportunity to eradicate the ab- 
surd and fal-e ideas and opinions which so generally 
prevail with respect to us. 

" Suffer me, sir, to recall to your mind, that when the 
tyranny of the British crown was exerted to reduce you 
to servitude, your abhorrence thereof was so excited, that 
you publicly held forth this true and invaluable doctrine, 
worthy to be recorded and remembered in all succeeding 
ages: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all 
men are created equal, and that they are endow^ed by 
their Creator with certain inalienable ri<>;hts ; that amonor 
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' 

" Your tender feelings for yourselves engaged you thus 
to declare. You were then impressed with proper ideas 



BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 19 

of the great value of Liberty, and the free possession of 
those blessings to which you were entitled by nature. 
But, sir, how pitiable it is to reflect that, although you 
were so fully convinced of the benevolence of the Father 
of mankind, and of his equal and impartial distribution 
of those rights and privileges which He had conferred 
upon them, that you should at the same time counteract 
his mercies in detaining, by fraud and violence, so numer- 
ous a part of my brethren under groaning captivity and 
cruel oppression ; that you should at the same time be 
found guilty of that most criminal act which you detested 
in others with respect to yourselves. 

" Sir, I freely and most cheerfully acknowledge that 1 
am of the African race ; and in that color which is natu- 
ral to them I am of the deepest dye. But, with a sense 
of most profound gratitude to the Supreme Ruler of the 
universe, I confess that I am not under that state of 
tyrannical thraldom and inhuman captivity to which so 
many of my brethren are doomed. I have abundantly 
tasted of those blessings which proceed from that free 
and unequalled liberty with which you are favored. 

'' Sir, I suppose your knowledge of the situation of my 
brethren is too extensive for it to need a recital here. 
Neither shall I presume to prescribe methods by which 
they may be relieved, otherwise than by recommending 
to you and others to wean yourselves from those narrow 
prejudices you have imbibed with respect to them, and 
to do as Job proposed to his friends, — ' Put your souls 
in their souls' stead.' Thus shall your hearts be enlarged 
with kindness and benevolence toward them, and you 
will need neither the direction of mvself nor others in 
what manner to proceed. 

"I took up my pen to direct to you, as a present, a 



20 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

copy of an Almanac I have calculated for the succeeding 
year. I ardently hope that your candor and generosity 
will plead with you in my behalf. Sympathy and affec- 
tion for my brethren has caused my enlargement thus far ; 
it was not originally my design. 

" The Almanac is the production of my arduous study. 
I have long had unbounded desires to become acquainted 
with the secrets of Nature, and I have had to gratify my 
curiosity herein through my own assiduous application to 
astronomical study ; in which I need not recount to you 
the many difficulties and disadvantages I have had to en- 
counter. I conclude by subscribing myself, with the most 
profound respect, your most humble servant, 

" B. Banneker." 

To this letter Jefferson made the following reply : — 

" Sir, — I thank you sincerely for your letter, and for 
the Almanac it contained. Nobody wishes more than I 
do to see such proofs as you exhibit that Nature has given 
to our black brethren talents equal to those of the other 
colors of men, and that the appearance of a want of them 
is owing only to the degraded condition of their existence, 
both in Africa and America. I can add, with truth, that 
no one wishes more ardently to see a good system com- 
menced for raising the condition, both of their body and 
mind, to what it ought to be, as fast as the imbecility of 
tlieir present existence, and other circumstances which 
cannot be neglected, will admit. I have taken the liberty 
of sending your Almanac to Monsieur Condorcet, Secre- 
tary of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, and to mem- 
bers of the Philanthropic Society, because I considered 
it a document to which your whole color had a right, for 
their justification against the doubts which have been 



BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 21 

entertained of them. I am, with great esteem, sir, your 

most obedient servant, 

"Thomas Jefferson." 

In 1 803, Mr. Jefferson invited the astronomer to visit 
him at Monticello, but the increasing infirmities of age 
made it imprudent to undertake the journey. His Al- 
manacs sold well for ten years, and the income, added to 
his annuity, gave him a very comfortable support ; and 
what was a still greater satisfaction to him was the con- 
sciousness of doing something to help the cause of his 
oppressed people, by proving to the world that Nature 
had endowed them with good capacities. 

After 1802 he found himself too old to calculate any 
more Almanacs, but as long as he lived he continued to 
be deeply interested in his various studies. 

Ke was well informed on many other subjects besides 
arithmetic and astronomy. He was a great reader of 
history ; and he kept a Journal, which shows that he was 
a close observer of the vegetable world, of the habits of 
insects, and of the operations of Nature in general. That 
his busy mind drew inferences from what he observed is 
evident from the following entry in his Journal: — 

" Standing at my door to-day, I heard the discharge of 
a gun, and in four or five seconds of time the small shots 
came rattling about me, which plainly demonstrates that 
the velocity of sound is greater than that of a common 
bullet." 

After the Constitution of the United States was 
adopted, in 1789, commissioners were appointed to de- 
termine the boimdaries of the District of Columbia. 
They invited Banneker to be present and assist them 
in running the lines ; and he was treated by them with 



22 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

as much respect as if he had been of their own color. His 
Ahnanacs were much praised by scientific men, and they 
often visited him in his humble little cabin. But these 
attentions never made him pert and vain. He rejoiced 
in his abilities and acqui.-itions, because he thought they 
might help to raise the condition of his oppressed breth- 
ren ; but he always remained modest and unobtrusive in 
his manners, 
y He died in 1804, in the seventy-second year of his 

age. His friend, Mr. Benjamin H. EUicott, collected 
various facts concerning him, which have been published. 
In a letter on this subject, Mr. EUicott says : " During 
the whole of his long life he lived respectably, and was 
much esteemed by all who became acquainted with him ; 
more especially by those who could fully appreciate his 
genius and the extent of his acquirements. His mode 
of life was extremely regular and retired. Having never 
married, he lived alone, cooking his own victuals and 
washing his own clothes. He was scarcely ever absent 
from home, yet there was nothing misanthropic in his 
character. A gentleman who knew him speaks of him 
thus : ' I recollect him well. He was a brave-looking, 
pleasant man, with something very noble in his appear- 
ance. His mind was evidently much engrossed in his 
calculations, but he was glad to receive the visits we 
often paid him.' Another writes : ' When I was a boy, 
I became very much interested in him. His manners 
were those of a perfect gentleman. He was kind, gener- 
ous, hospitable, humane, dignified, and pleasing. He 
abounded in information on all the various subjects and 
incidents of the day, was very modest and unassuming, 
and delighted in society at his own house. Go there 
when you would, by day or night, there was constantly 



BENJAMIN BANNEKER. 23 

in the middle of the floor a large table covered with 
books and papers. As he was an eminent mathemati- 
cian, he was constantly in correspondence with other 
mathematicians in this country, with whom there was an 
interchange of questions of difficult solution. His head 
was covered with thick white hair, which gave him a 
venerable appearance. His dress was uniformly of su- 
perfine drab broadcloth, made in the old style of a plain 
coat with strait collar, a long waistcoat, and a broad- 
brimmed hat. His color was not jet black, but decidedly 
negro. In size and personal appearance he bore a strong 
resemblance to the statue of Benjamin Franklin, at the 
Library in Philadelphia.'" 

The good which Banneker did to the cause of his 
colored brethren did not cease with his life. When the 
Abbe Gregoire pleaded for emancipation in France, and 
when Wilberforce afterward labored for the same cause 
in England, the abilities and character of the black as- 
tronomer were brought forward as an argument against 
the enslavement of his race ; and, from that day to this, 
the friends of freedom have quoted him everywhere as a 
proof of the mental capacity of Africans. 



" Tyl¥.y found them slaves ! but who that title gave ? 
The God of Nature never formed a slave ! 
Though fraud or force acquire a master's name, 
Nature and justice must remain the same ; — 
Nature imprints upon whate'er we see. 
That has a heart and life in it. Be fkee ! " 

COVVPER. 



24 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



ETHIOPIA. 

BY FRANCES E. W. HARPER. 

YES, Ethiopia yet shall stretch 
Her bleeding hands abroad ; 
Her cry of agony shall reach 
Up to the throne of God. 

The tyrant's yoke from off her neck, 

His fetters from her soul, 
The mighty hand of God shall break, 

And spurn the base control. 

Redeemed from dust and freed from chains, 

Her sons shall lift their eyes ; 
From cloud-capt hills and verdant plains 

Shall shouts of triumph rise. 

Upon her dark, despairing brow 

Shall play a smile of peace ; 
For God shall bend unto her woe, 

And bid her sorrows cease. 

'Neath sheltering vines and stately palms 

Shall laughing children play, 
And aged sires with joyous psalms 

Shall gladden every day. 



THE HOUR OF FREEDOM. 25 

Secure by night, and blest by day, 

Shall pass her happy hours ; 
Nor human tigers hunt for prey 

Within her peaceful bowers. 

Then, Ethiopia, stretch, O stretch 

Thy bleeding hands abroad ! 
Thy cry of agony shall reach 

And find redress from God. 



THE HOUR OF FREEDOM.* 

BY WILLIAM LLOTD GARRISON. 

THE hour of freedom ! come it must. 
hasten it, in mercy, Heaven ! 
When all who grovel in the dust 

Shall stand erect, their fetters riven ; 



When glorious freedom shall be won 
By every caste, complexion, clime ; 

When tyranny shall be o'erthrown, 
And color cease to be a crime. 

* Written in 1832. 



2 



26 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



WILLIAM BOEN. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



WILLIAM BOEN was born in 1735, one hun- 
dred and thirty years ago. He was the slave 
of a man who lived near Mount Holly, in New Jersey. 
His master and most of the neighbors belonsfed to the 
Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers. That 
Society made it a rule that none of their members should 
hold a slave, long before the people of any other sect 
were convinced that slavery was wrong. But at the 
time William Been was born some of the Quakers did 
hold slaves, though many of their members were preach- 



m^ ao^ainst it. 



They were a very friendly and conscientious people, 
and as William grew up among them he naturally im- 
bibed many of their ideas. However, like most boys, 
he did not think very seriously about religion, until the 
importance of it was impressed upon his mind by the fol- 
lowing circumstance. In the time of the old French war, 
when he was a mere lad, his master sent him into the 
woods to cut down trees. The Indians were fighting on 
the side of the French, and they often killed the Amer- 
icans. Some of them came into the neighborhood of 
Mount Holly ; and when he went home at night, after his 
day's work in the woods, he would often hear that Indians 
had been lurking about in the neighborhood, and that 
somebody had been shot by their sharp arrows. This 
made him very much afraid to work alone in the woods. 



WILLIAM BOEN. 27 

He was always thinking that Indians might be hidden 
among the bushes ; and if a bird flew off her nest it 
sounded to him like the whizzing of an arrow. It was 
very still in the forest, and it seemed very solemn to look 
up at the sky through the tall trees. William thought to 
himself, " What if the Indians should kill me before I 
have any time to think about it ? Am I fit to die ? " 
He thought he was not fit to die, and he longed earnestly 
to know what he ought to do to become fit to die. He 
liad heard the Quakers talk about a light which God had 
placed in the soul, to show men what was wrong. And 
he said it went through his mind " like a flaming sword," 
that if he would be fit to die he must follow this inward 
light in every particular, even in the most trifling things. 
So he began to be very thoughtful about every action of 
his life ; and if he felt uneasy, about anything he was 
tempted to do, he said to himself, " This is the inward 
light, showing me that the thing is wrong. I will not do 
it." Pursuing this course, he became careful not to do 
anything which did not bring peace to his soul ; and as 
the soul can never be peaceful when it disobeys God, he 
was continually travelling toward Zion while he strove 
to follow this inward light in his soul ; and the more hum- 
bly he tried to follow it, the clearer the light became. 
He did not always keep in the straight path. Sometimes 
he did or said something wrong ; then peace went away 
from his mind. But he confessed his sin before God, 
and prayed for strength not to do wrong any more. By 
humility and obedience he again found the path of peace. 
Religion comes in many difiiarent ways to human souls. 
This was the way it came to William Boen. 

All who knew him saw that his religious feeling was 
deep and sincere, for it brought forth fruit in his daily 



28 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

life. He never made others unhappy by indulging freaks 
of temper. He was extremely temperate, scrupulously 
honest, and very careful never to say anything but the 
exact truth. His character was so excellent that all the 
neighbors respected and trusted him. Many said it was 
a shame to keep him in slavery, and his master became 
uneasy about it. People said to him, from time to time, 
" William, thy master talks of letting thee be free." He 
heard it so often, that it became an old story, and he 
thought nothing would ever come of it. But one day 
hU master was walking with him as he went to his work 
in the fields, and suddenly he inquired whether he would 
like to be free. William was silent for a while, and then 
begun to talk about the work he was to do. But the 
question dwelt on his mind and excited his hopes. He 
told one of his friends about it, and when he was asked, 
" What didst thou say, William ? " he replied, " I did not 
say anything ; for I thought he might know I would like 
to be free." 

When he was nearly twenty-eight years old his master 
offered to make a contract with him by which he could 
obtain his freedom. He was soon after married to a 
worthy young woman, and by industry and strict economy 
they were able in a few years to buy a few acres of land, 
and build a comfortable house. He led a peaceful and 
diligent life, doing good to others whenever he could, and 
harming no one. His conscience was extremely tender. 
He would never eat anything made of sugar manufactured 
by slaves, and he never would wear any garments made 
of cotton raised by slave labor. He thought Slavery was 
so wrong, that he did not feel easy to connect himself 
with it, even in the remotest degree. 

He was equally scrupulous about telling the truth. 



WILLIAM BOEN. 29 

One of his neighbors, a rich white man, was very much 
in the habit of borrowing his tools. One day, when he 
had been using his grindstone, he thanked him for it, and 
William answered, in the customary way, " Thou art wel- 
come." But soon he began to ask himself, " Was that 
the exact truth ? " His mind was troubled by doubts 
about it, and finally he went to his neighbor, and said, 
" When I told thee thou wert welcome, I spoke mere 
complimentary words, according to custom ; for the truth 
is, I do honestly think thou art better able to have a 
grindstone of thy own, than I am." 

He had also a very nice sense of justice with regard 
to the rights of property. Nothing would induce him to 
use what belonged to another person without first ob- 
taining leave. One day, when he was mowing in the 
meadows, he accidentally killed a fat partridge with his 
scythe. The other workmen advised him to take it home 
for his wife to roast. But he replied, "Nay, the par- 
tridge does not belong to me, it belongs to the owner of 
the meadow." Accordingly he carried it to his employer. 
Another time, when he was working with others in the 
woods, they found an empty cabin, wherein they stowed 
their provisions, and lodged for a fortnight, till they had 
finished cutting the timber. After William returned 
home he took an early opportunity to tell the owner of 
the cabin what he had done, and to ofifer payment for the 
accommodation. 

He constantly attended Quaker meetings, and follov/od 
their peculiar customs in dress and language ; but he was 
not admitted into full membership with that religious 
society till he was nearly eighty years old, though he 
had made application to join it thirty years before. 

He was scrupulously neat in his person.' His linen 



30 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

was always very white, and his light drab-colored clothes 
showed no speck of dirt. He wore his beard long, and 
as he grew old it became very white ; his curly hair also 
was white as snow. His dark face was very conspicu- 
ous in the midst of all this whiteness, and gave him an 
odd appearance. But be had such a friendly, pleasant 
expression of countenance, and there was so much modest 
dignity in his manners, that he inspired respect. A 
stranger once said to one of his wealthy neighbors, " I 
wonder that boys and giddy young folks don't ridicule 
that old black man, his dress and appearance are so very 
peculiar." The neighbor replied, " William Boen is a 
religious man, and everybody respects him. The light- 
minded are so much impressed by his well-known charac- 
ter, that they are restrained from making fun of his singu- 
lar appearance." 

He died in his ninetieth year ; not from any disease, 
but the mere weakness of old age. His faculties were 
clear, and his mind serene and cheerful to the last. He 
spoke of his approaching death with the greatest com- 
posure ; saying that he had no wish about the manner of 
his exit from this life, that he was resigned to the Di- 
vine will in all things. 

One of the last things he said was, " I am glad to see 
that the feeling against slavery is growing among the 
Society of Friends. Once I felt as if I was alone in my 
testimony against that wicked system." 

After his death, the Society of Friends at Mount 
Holly wrote a Memorial concerning his character, which 
was read in their Yearly Meeting. It concluded thus : 
" In early life, he was concerned ' to do justly, love 
mercy, and walk humbly with his God.' By close atten- 
tion to the light of Christ within, he was enabled, not 



ANECDOTE OF WASHINGTON. 31 

only to bear many precious testimonies faithfully to tlie 
end of his days, but also to bring forth those fruits of the 
spirit which redound to the glory of God and the salva- 
tion of the soul. As he lived, so he died, — a rare pat- 
tern of a self-denying follower of Christ. ' Mark the 
perfect man, and behold the upright ; for the end of that 
man is peace.'" 



ANECDOTE OF GENERAL WASHINGTON. 

During the war of the Revolution, Pinmus Hall was the 
colored servant of Colouel Pickering, with whom General 
AVashington often held long consultations. One night, finding 
they must be engaged till late, he proposed to sleep in the 
Colonel's tent, provided there was a spare blanket and straw. 
Primus, who was always eager to oblige the Commander-in- 
Chief, said, ^' Plenty of straw and blankets." 

When the long conference was ended, the two officers lay 
down to rest on the beds he had prepared. When he saw 
they were asleep, he seated himself on a box, and, leaning his 
head on his hand, tried to take as comfortable a nap as he 
could. General W^ashino-ton woke in the nijiht, and seeinj^ 
him nodding there, called out, " Primus ! " The servant 
started to his feet, and exclaimed, " What do you wish for, 
General?" 

" You told me you had plenty of straw and blankets," re- 
plied Washington ; " but I see you are sitting up all night for 
the sake of giving me your bed." 

" It is no matter about me,*' rejoined Primus. 

"Yes, it is," rephed General Washington. "If one of us 
must sit up, I will take my turn. But there is no need of 
that. The blanket is wide enough for two. Come and lie 
down with me." 

Primus, who reverenced the Commander-in-Chief as he did 
no other mortal, protested against it. But Washington threw 
open the blanket, and said, " Come and lie down, I tell you ! 
There is room enough for both, and I insist upon it." 

The tone was too resolute to admit of further parley, and 
the General and his colored friend slept comfortably under the 
same blanket till morning. 



32 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



PRAYER OF THE SLAVE. 

BY BERNARD BARTON. 

O FATHER of the human race ! 
The white, the black, the bond, the free, 
Thanks for thy gift of heavenly grace, 
Vouchsafed through Jesus Christ to me. 

This, 'mid oppression's every wrong, 
Has borne my sinking spirits up ; 

Made sorrow joyful, weakness strong. 
And sweetened Slavery's bitter cup. 

Hath not a Saviour's dying hour 

Made e'en the yoke of thraldom light ? 

Hath not thy Holy Spirit's power 

Made bondage freedom ? darkness bright ? 

Thanks then, Father ! for the gift 

Which through thy Gospel thou hast given, 

Which thus from bonds and earth can lift 
The soul to liberty and heaven. 

But not the less I mourn their shame. 
Who, mindless of thy gracious will, 

Call on the holy Father's name, 

Yet keep their brethren bondmen still. 

Forgive them, Lord ! for Jesus' sake ; 

And when the slave thou hast unbound. 
The chains which bind the oppressor break ! 

Thus be thy love's last triumph crowned. 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 33 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 

" Everywhere thy name shall be 
Redeemed from color's infamy; 
And men shall learn to speak of thee 
As one of earth's great spirits, born 
In servitude and nursed in scorn, 
Casting aside the weary weight 
And fetters of its low estate, 
In that strong majesty of soul 
Which knows no color, tongue, or clime. 
Which still hath spurned the base control 

Of tyrants, through all time." 

John Q. Whittier. 

ON the western coast of Africa, a tribe called the Ar- 
radas are said to be superior to most of the other 
tribes in intelligence and strength of will. The son of 
their chief, named Gaou-Guinou, was seized by a prowl- 
ing band of slave-traders, one day when he was out hunt- 
ing. He was packed in the hold of a European ship, with 
a multitude of other unfortunate victims, and carried to 
the island of Hayti to be sold. This is one of the largest 
of the West India Islands, and lies between Cuba and 
Porto Rico. It was first discovered by Spaniards, who 
found it inhabited by mild-tempered Indians, leading a 
very simple and happy life. These natives called their 
island Hayti, which in their language signified a Land of 
Mountains. A lofty ridge of mountains runs across it, 
and gives it a solemn, dreary appearance, when seen in 
the distance. But it is a very beautiful and fertile island. 
The high, rocky precipices, piled one above another, look 
down on broad flowery plains, flowing with water, and 
2* c 



34 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

loaded with tropical fruits. When the Spaniards estab- 
lished a colony there, they introduced the cultivation of 
s-ugar, cotton, and coffee, to supply the markets of Eu- 
rope. They compelled the native Indians to work so 
hard, and treated them so badly, that the poor creatures 
died off very fast. Then they sent men in ships to 
Africa to steal negroes to work for them. They founded 
a city in the eastern part of the island, and named it 
St. Domingo ; and the whole island came to be called by 
that name by European nations. 

The French afterward took possession of the western 
part of the island. Their principal city was named 
Cap Francois, which means French Cape, The African 
prince Gaou-Guinou was sold in the market of that city. 
He was more fortunate than slaves generally are. He 
was bought by the manager of a sugar plantation belong- 
ing to a French nobleman, named the Count de Breda. 
He was kind-hearted, and was very careful to employ 
none but humane men to take charge of his laborers. 
The condition of the young African was also less deso- 
late than it would have been, by reason of his finding on 
the Breda estate several members of the Arradas tribe, 
who, like him, had been stolen from their homes. They 
at once recognized him as the son of their king, and 
treated him with the utmost respect. In process of time 
he married a black slave, who is said to have been hand- 
some and virtuous. They joined the Roman Catholic 
Church, which was the established religion of France and 
the French islands. Of their eight children, the oldest, 
born in 1743, one hundred and twenty -two. years ago, 
was named Toussaint. The day of his birth is not cer- 
tainly known. It has been said to have been on the 
20th of May. But, from his name, it seems more likely 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 35 

that It was on the 1st of November. In Catholic coun- 
tries, almost every day of the year is set apart to the 
worship of some saint ; and a child born on the day of 
any particular saint is very apt to receive his name from 
that day. The first of November is a festival of the 
church, called All Saints' Day ; and Toussaint, in the 
French language, means All Saints. 

In the neighborhood of Gaou-Guinou lived a very hon- 
est, religious old black man, named Pierre Baptiste. He 
had been in the service of Jesuit missionaries, and had 
there learned to read and write, also a little of geometry. 
By help of the Catholic Prayer-Book he learned some 
prayers In Latin, and found out their meaning in French. 
This man stood godfather for Toussaint at his baptism, 
and as the boy grew older It was his pleasure to teach 
him what little he himself knew. The language of the 
Arradas tribe was always spoken in the family of Gaou- 
Guinou, but from his godfather Toussaint learned to 
speak tolerably good French, which was the language of 
the whites in the western part of St. Domingo. It Is 
said that Gaou-Guinou was allowed to cultivate a little 
patch of ground for his family, and that some of his 
fellow-slaves were permitted to assist him occasionally. 
This Induloence indicates that he stood well in his mas- 
ter's opinion. But, In common with other slaves. It Is 
probable that he and his wife tolled early and late In the 
fields or the sugar-house, and that their family were hud- 
dled together in a hut too small to allow of their observ- 
ing the laws of cleanliness or modesty. 

For several years Toussaint was so feeble and slender 
that his parents called him by a name which signified 
" The Little Lath." But he gained strength as he grew 
older ; and by the time he was twelve years old he could 
beat all the boys in running, jumping, and leaping. 



36 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

It was the business of young slaves to tend tlie flocks 
and herds. They generally neglected and abused the 
creatures under their care, because they themselves were 
accustomed to hard treatment. But Toussaint was of a 
kindly disposition, and there was less violence on his 
master's plantation than elsewhere. It was remarked 
in the neighborhood that he differed from other boys in 
his careful and gentle treatment of the animals under his 
care. He was naturally a silent and thoughtful child, 
and probably this tendency was increased by being much 
alone, watching the browsing cattle in the stillness of the 
great valleys. Perhaps also the presence of the moun- 
tains and the sky made him feel serious and solemn. His 
pious godfather told him legends of Catholic saints, which 
he had heard among the missionaries. All these things 
combined to give him a religious turn of mind, even in 
his boyhood. From his own father he learned a great 
deal about Africa and the customs that prevailed in the 
tribe of his grandfather, King of the Arradas ; also the 
medicinal qualities of many plants, which afterward 
proved very useful to him. Nothing is recorded of 
the moral and intellectual character of his father ; but 
Toussaint always respected him highly, and when he was 
himself an old man he spoke of him as a good parent, 
who had trained him well by lessons of honor and virtue. 

Toussaint Breda, as he was called, from the name of 
the estate on which he worked, early acquired a reputa- 
tion for intelligence, sobriety, and industry. The Mana- 
ger of the estate, M. Bayou de Libertas, was so much 
pleased with his conduct and manners that he made him 
his coachman, a situation much coveted by the slaves, as 
being more easy and pleasant than most of their tasks. 
His kindness to animals fitted him for the care of horses, 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 37 

and he was found as faithful in this new business as he 
had been while he was herds-boy. He was afterward 
promoted to an office of greater trust, being made steward 
of the sugar-house. 

Having arrived at manhood, he began to want a home 
of his own. Most of the slaves took up together without 
any form of marriage, that being one of the bad customs 
which grows out of Slavery. But Toussaint was relig- 
ious, and it would have troubled his conscience to live 
in that bad way. He had become attached to a widow 
named Suzan, who had one little son called Placide. She 
was not handsome, but he loved her for her good sense, 
good temper, and modest manners. They were married 
according to the ceremonies of the Catholic Church. He 
adopted her little boy, and brought him up as tenderly as 
he did his own children. The Manager allowed him a 
small patch of ground for vegetables, and all the hours 
they could snatch from plantation labors he and his wife 
devoted to the cultivation of their little garden. M. 
Bayou de Libertas was such a humane and considerate 
man that life in his service seems to have been as happy 
as the condition of slaves can be. Long afterward, Tous- 
saint, speaking of this period of his life, said : " My wife 
and I went hand in hand to labor in the fields. We were 
scarcely conscious of the fatigues of the day. Heaven al- 
ways blessed our toil. We had abundance for ourselves, 
and the pleasure of giving to other blacks who needed it. 
On Sundays and festival days my wife, my parents, and 
myself went to church. Returning to our cottage we 
had a pleasant meal, passed the remainder of the day in 
family intercourse, and closed it by prayer, in which all 
took part." 

Thus contented in his humble station, and faithfully 



38 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

performing its duties, he gained the respect and confi- 
dence of both blacks and whites. Many of the slaves in 
the French colonies were cruelly treated, as is always the 
case wherever Slavery exists. Toussaint could not avoid 
seeing a great deal of wrong and suffering inflicted on 
people of his color, and he was doubtless grateful to God 
that his lot was so much better than theirs. But he was 
too intelligent and thoughtful not to question in his own 
mind why either he or they should be held in bondage 
merely on account of the complexion which it had pleased 
God to give them. He was fond of reading, and M. 
Bayou de Libertas, contrary to the usual custom, allowed 
him the use of his books. He read one volume at a time, 
and tried to understand it thoroughly. He devoted every 
spare moment to it, and while he was at work he was 
busily thinking over what he had read. It took complete 
possession of his soul for the time, and he would repeat 
extracts from it to his companions for weeks after. In 
this earnest way he read several books of ancient history, 
biography, and morals, and a number of military books. 
There was a French author, called the Abbe Raynal, 
who was much opposed to Slavery. In some way or 
other, one of his books fell into the hands of Toussaint 
Breda, and made a deep impression on him. It contained 
the following sentence: "What shall be done to overthrow 
Slavery? Self-interest alone governs kings and nations. 
We must look elsewhere. A courageous chief is all the 
negroes need. Where is he ? Where is that great man 
whom Nature owes to her vexed, oppressed, and tor- 
mented children? He will doubtless appear. He will 
come forth and raise the sacred standard of Liberty. 
This venerable signal will gather round him his compan- 
ions in misfortune. More impetuous than the torrents, 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 39 

they will everywhere leave the indelible traces of their 
just resentment. Everywhere people will bless the name 
of the hero who shall have re-established the rights of the 
human race." 

When the Abbe Raynal wrote those prophetic words, 
he did not foresee that they would meet the eye of the 
very man he called for ; and the humble slave, when he 
read them, did not hear in them the voice of his own 
destiny. 

While he was diligently toiling for his humane mas- 
ters, and seizing every opportunity to increase his small 
stock of knowledge, the island of St. Domingo was grow- 
ing very rich by agriculture and commerce. The plant- 
ers acquired enormous wealth, built splendid houses, and 
lived in luxury, laziness, and dissipation, upon the toil of 
the poor unpaid negroes. Twenty thousand slaves were 
imported from Africa every year, to make up the de- 
ficiency of those who were killed by excessive toil and 
cruel treatment. These new victims, men and women, 
had the name of their purchaser branded on their breast- 
bones with red-hot iron. 

But men never violate the laws of God without suffer- 
ing the consequences, sooner or later. Slavery was pro- 
ducing its natural fruits of tyranny and hatred, cruelty 
and despair. The reports of barbarity on one side and 
suffering on the other attracted attention in Europe ; 
and benevolent and just men began to speak and write 
against Slavery as a wicked and dangerous institution. 
The Abbe Gregoire, a humane Bishop of the Catholic 
Church, introduced the agitating question into the French 
Assembly, a body similar to our Congress. He also 
formed a society called Les Amis de Noirs, which means 
" The Friends of the Blacks." Of course, this was very 



40 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

vexatious to slaveholders in the French colonies. They 
knew very well that if the facts of Slavery were made 
known, every good man would cry out against it. Politi- 
cal parties were formed in St. Domingo. Some of the 
planters wanted to secede from France, and set up an 
independent government. Others wanted to increase 
their political power by having a Colonial Assembly 
established in the island, by means of which they could 
mainly manage their own concerns as they chose. For 
this purpose they sent deputies to France. But their 
request gave rise to the question who should have the 
right to be members of such an Assembly ; and, for the 
following reasons, that question was very annoying to the 
haughty slaveholders of St. Domingo. 

In the United States of America, slaveholders made 
a law that " the child shall follow the condition of the 
mother ^^ ; consequently, every child of a slave-woman 
was born a slave, however light its complexion might 
be. This was a very convenient arrangement for white 
fathers, who wanted to sell their own children. In the 
French colonies, the law was, " the child shall follow the 
condition of its father^ The consequence was, that all 
the children the planters of St. Domingo had by their 
slaves were born free. This was, of course, a numerous 
class. In fact, their numbers were two thirds as great 
as those of the whites. There were at that time in St. 
Domingo thirty thousand whites, twenty thousand free 
mulattoes, and five hundred thousand black slaves. Not 
unfrequently the white planters sent their mulatto chil- 
dren to France to be educated like gentlemen. Many 
of them acquired great wealth and held numerous slaves. 
But they were a class by themselves. However rich and 
educated they might be, they were kept trampled down 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 41 

in a degraded and irritating position, merely on account 
of their color. They despised the negi'o slaves, from 
whom they had descended on the mother's side ; and 
they in their turn were despised by the whites, whose 
children they were, because their color connected them 
with the enslaved race. They were not allowed to be 
doctors, lavvyers, or priests ; they could hold no public 
office ; they could not inherit the name or the property 
of their fathers ; they could not attend school with white 
boys, or sit at a white man's table, or occupy the same 
portion of a church with him, or be buried in the same 
graveyard. They were continually insulted by whites, 
but if they dared to give a blow in return, the penalty 
was to have the right hand cut off. This class of free 
mulattoes claimed that, being numerous and wealthy, and 
the payers of taxes, they had a right to send representa- 
tives to the Colonial Assembly to look after their inter- 
ests. They had the more hopes of gaining this point, 
because a great Revolution was then going on in France, 
and the friends of liberty and equality were daily grow- 
ing stronger there. When the white planters sent depu- 
ties to France, the mulattoes sent deputies also, with a 
present of more than a million of dollars, and an offer to 
mortgage a fifth part of all their property toward the 
payment of the French national debt. All they asked in 
return was that the law should put them on an equality 
with white men. Being slaveholders, they manifested 
the same selfishness that white slaveholders did. They 
declared that they asked redress of grievances only for 
oppressed freemen ; that they had no wish to change the 
condition of the negroes, who were slaves. 

This petition was drawn up in 1790, and sent to Paris 
by a wealthy colored man named Og^. It excited lively 



42 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

discussion iu tlie National Assembly of France. One of 
the members, named Lamoth, who owned large estates in 
St. Domingo, said : " I am one of the largest proprietors 
in that island; but I would lose all that I possess there 
rather than disown principles which justice and humanity 
have consecrated. I am not only in favor of admitting 
men of color into the Colonial Assemblies, but I also go 
for the emancipation of the negro slaves." After ani- 
mated discussion, the reply received by the mulatto depu- 
ties from the President of the Assembly was : " No por- 
tion of the French nation shall in vain claim its rights 
from the representatives of the French people." 

"When the white planters of St. Domingo heard of 
this, they were filled with wrath. In one place, a mu- 
latto named Lacombe, whose only crime was that he had 
signed the petition, was seized and hung. In another 
place, the mob seized a highly respected old white magis- 
trate and cut off his head, because he had drafted for 
the mulattoes a very moderate petition, begging to be 
released from some of the hardships under which they 
had so long suffered. When the colored deputy Og6 
returned from France and demanded that mulattoes 
should have the rights of citizenship, which had been 
decreed to them by the French Assembly, soldiers were 
sent to seize him, and he was sentenced to have all his 
limbs broken on a wheel, and then to have his head 
cut oiF. 

Besides the classes of which I have spoken there was 
another class in St. Domingo called petit blancs^ which 
means small whites. They were so called to distinguish 
them from the large landed proprietors. They occupied 
a position not unlike that of the class known as " poor 
whites " in the slaveholding portion of the United States. 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 43 

They were ready instruments to carry out the vengeance 
of the infuriated planters. They seized every opportunity 
to insult the free mulattoes, and to inflict cruelty and out- 
rage on the negro slaves. They went about as patrols, 
traversing the plantations, and bursting into negro huts 
at all times of night, und.er the pretence that they were 
plotting insurrection. The poor ignorant slaves did not 
understand what all this mobbinsi; and murderinor was 
for ; but finding themselves so much suspected and abused 
without cause, they became weary of their lives. Many 
committed suicide, others tried to poison their tormentors. 
At Port au Prince an attempt was made to get up an 
insurrection. Fifty slaves, suspected of being connected 
with it, were beheaded, and their heads, stuck on poles, 
were set up by the hedges in a row. 

While the fire was thus kindling under their feet the 
white planters came out in open defiance of the French 
government, and refused to take the oath of allegiance. 
They called on the English for aid, and offered to make 
the island over to Great Britain. The mulattoes were 
filled with dismay, for the French government was their 
only hope. They had hitherto kept aloof from the ne- 
groes ; but now, seeing the necessity of curbing the power 
of the white planters, at all hazards, they instigated the 
already exasperated slaves to seize this favorable moment 
of commotion and rise against their masters. They did 
rise. On the 22d of August, 1791. All at once the sky 
was red with the reflection of burning houses and cane- 
fields. The cruelties which they had witnessed or suf- 
fered, they now, in their turn, inflicted on white men, 
women, and children. It was a horrible scene. 

Toussaint was working as usual on the Breda estate, 
when he heard that the planters had called in the aid 



44 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

of the English, and that four thousand negroes had risen 
in insurrection. He exerted his great influence with his 
fellow-slaves to prevent the destruction of houses and 
cane-fields on the Breda estate. For a month, he kept 
the insurgents at bay, while he helped M. Bayou de 
Libertas to convey a cargo of sugar on board a Baltimore 
ship, for the support of his family, and aided his mistress 
to collect such articles of value as could conveniently be 
carried away. Then he secretly conveyed them to the 
same ship ; and it was an inexpressible relief to his heart 
when he saw them sailing away, bound for the shores of 
the United States. 

The armed negroes increased in numbers, and mar- 
shalled themselves under an intelligent leader named 
Jean Francois. When the French governor in St. Do- 
mingo called upon them to lay down their arms, their 
leaders replied for them : " We have never thought of 
failing in the respect and duty we owe to the representa- 
tives of the King of France. The king has bewailed our 
lot and broken our chains. But those who should have 
proved fathers to us have been tyrants, monsters, unwor- 
thy the fruits of our labors. Do you ask the sheep to 
throw themselves into the jaws of the wolf? To prove 
to you, excellent sir, that we are not so cruel as you may 
think, we assure you that we wish for peace with all 
our souls ; but on condition that all the whites, without 
a single exception, leave the Cape. Let them carry with 
thenj their gold and their jewels. All we seek is our 
liberty. God grant that we may obtain it without shed- 
ding of blood. Believe us, it has cost our feehngs very 
much to have taken this course. But victory, or death 
for freedom, is our profession of faith ; and we will main- 
tain it to the last drop of our blood." 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 45 

The negroes were mistaken in supposing tliat Louis 
XVI., king of France, had broken their chains, or that 
the king's party, called Royalists, were trying to do any- 
thing for their freedom. It was the revolutionary party 
in France, called Republicans, who had declared them- 
selves in favor of emancipating the negro slaves, and 
giving the free mulattoes their civil rights. The main 
body of the negroes had been kept in the lowest igno- 
rance, and of course could not understand the state of 
political parties. The world was ringing with French 
doctrines of liberty and equality, to be applied to men 
of all colors ; and they could not help hearing something 
of what was so universally talked of. The Spaniards in 
the eastern part of St. Domingo were allies of the French 
king, and they wai*/ed the negroes to help them fight the 
French planters, who were in rebellion against the king. 
In order to give them a strong motive for doing so, they 
told them that Louis XVI. had been cast into prison in 
France, and that they were going to kill him, because he 
wanted to emancipate the slaves in his colonies. They 
readily believed that it was so, because they saw their 
masters in arms against the king. Therefore they called 
their regiments " The King's Own," and carried flags on 
which were inscribed, " Long live the King," " The 
Ancient System of Government." 

The slaveholders mounted the English cockade, and 
entered into alliance with Great Britain, while their re- 
volted slaves joined the Spanish. The war raged horri- 
bly on both sides. Jean Francois was of a gentle dispo- 
sition, and disposed to be merciful ; but the two other 
leaders of the negroes, named Jeannot and Biassou, were 
monsters of revenge and cruelty. The bleeding heads 
of white men surrounded their camps, and the bodies 



46 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

of black men hung on trees round the camps of the 
planters. 

This state of things shocked the soul of Toussaint 
Breda. Much as he desired the freedom of his own 
race, he was reluctant to join an enterprise marked by 
so many cruelties. Conscience forbade him to enlist on 
the side of the slaveholders, and he would gladly have 
remained neutral ; but he found that men of his own color 
were suspicious of him, because he had adhered so faith- 
fully to M. Bayou de Libertas. He joined the black 
insurgents ; but, resolved not to take part in their bar- 
barities, he occupied himself with healing the wounded, 
— an office for which he was well qualified by his tender 
disposition and knowledge of medicinal plants. 

After a while, however, the negroes were compelled 
to retreat before the superior discipline of the white 
troops ; and feeling greatly the need of intelligent offi- 
cers, they insisted upon making Toussaint aide-de-camp 
to Biassou, under the title of Brigadier. He desired, 
above all things, that hostilities should cease, that the 
negroes should return to their work, and that the planters 
should consent to cease from oppressing them. A very 
little justice and kindness would have pacified the re- 
volted slaves ; but the slaveholders were so full of rasre 
and pride, that if a slave attempted to return to his mas- 
ter, however sincere he might be, he was instantly put 
to death. Three commissioners came from France to 
try to negotiate a peace between the contending parties. 
The blacks sent deputies to the Colonial Assembly to 
help the French commissioners in this good work ; but 
the planters treated their overtures with haughtiness and 
contempt. 

It is said that Toussaint wept when he saw the hopes 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 47 

of peace vanish. It was plain that his people must re- 
sist their tyrants, or be forever hopelessly crushed. He 
was then fifty years old, in the prime of his bodily and 
mental strength. By becoming a leader he felt that he 
might protect the ignorant masses, and restrain those who 
were disposed to cruelty. Perhaps he remembered the 
pi-ediction of the Abbe Raynal, and thought that he was 
the appointed deliverer, — a second Moses, sent by God 
to bring his people out of bondage. From that time 
henceforth he made it the business of his life to conquer 
freedom for his race ; but never in a bloodthirsty spirit. 

Biassou was so enraged by the contemptuous manner 
in which their deputies had been treated, that he gave 
orders to put to death all the white prisoners in their 
camps. But Toussaint remonstrated, and succeeded in 
saving their lives. His superior intelligence gave him 
great influence, and he always exerted it on the side of 
humanity. He also manifested extraordinary courage 
and sagacity in the very difficult position in which he 
was placed. He was surrounded by conflicting parties, 
fighting against each other, agreeing only in one thing, 
and that was hostility to the negroes ; all of them ready 
to make the fairest promises, and to break them as soon 
as they had gained their object. France was in a state 
of revolutionary confusion, and rumors were very contra- 
dictory. One thing was certain, — their former masters 
were fighting against the king of France ; and instinct 
led them to take the other side. Toussaint deemed it 
wisest to keep under the protection of their Spanish al- 
lies, and fight with them for the king's party. By a suc- 
cession of battles, he gained possession of several districts 
in the mountains, where he entrenched his forces strongly, 
and tried to bring them under regular military discipline. 



48 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

lie was very strict, and allowed no disobedience of orders. 
He forbade bis soldiers to go about plundering, or reven- 
ging past injuries. His motto was, " No Retaliation,'* 
— a noble, Christian motto, totally disregarded by men 
whose opportunities for enlightened education were a 
thousand times greater than his. When he felt him- 
self secure in the mountain districts, he invited the white 
planters of that region to return and cultivate the estates 
which they had abandoned in their terror. He promised 
them that their persons and property should be protected; 
and he faithfully kept his word. In his language and in 
his actions he was always saying to the whites, " Why 
will you force us to fight ? I cherish no revenge against 
you. All I want is the freedom of my race." His energy 
and ingenuity in availing himself of every resource and 
supplying every deficiency were truly wonderful. On 
one occasion a map was greatly needed, in order to plan 
Bome important campaign, and no map could be procured. 
Toussaint, having made diligent inquiries of various per- 
sons well acquainted with the portion of country to be 
traversed, employed himself in making a map. By help 
of the little geometry taught him by his godfather, he 
projected a map, and marked down the important towns, 
mountains, and rivers, with the distances between them. 
No trait in the character of Toussaint Breda was 
stronger than his domestic affections. He was devotedly 
attached to his wife and children, and he had not seen 
them for seven months. At last an interval of quiet en- 
abled him to visit the Spanish part of the island, whither 
he had sent them for security. The Spanish authorities, 
in acknowledgment of his services, received him with the 
greatest distinction. Toussaint thanked them, but hum- 
bly ascribed his successes to a superintending Providence. 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTUKE. 49 

Always strict in religious observances, he went to tlie 

\ church to offer prayers. His general, the Spanish Mar- 
quis Hermona, seeing liim kneel to partake of the com- 
munion, said : " In this lower world God visits no purer 
soul than his." , 

But the Sf)aniards had no regard for the rights and 
w^elfare of the negroes. They used them while they had 
need of their help, and were ready to oppress them when 
it served their own interests. News came from France 
that the Republican party were triumphant, and that the 
king had been beheaded. The Spanish had nothing fur- 
ther to gain by adhering to the defeated RoyaHst party. 
Accordingly, Spain and Great Britain entered into a 
league to divide the island of St. Domingo between 
them, and restore Slavery. On the contrary, the Re- 
publican party in France, assembled in convention at 
Paris, February, 1794, proclaimed freedom to the slaves 
in all the French colonies ; and as the government was 
now in their hands, there was no doubt of their having 
power to protect those they had emancipated. Under 
these circumstances, there was but one course for Tous- 
saint to take. He left the Spanish and joined the French 
forces, by whom he was received with acclamation. His 
rude bands of untaught negroes had now become a well- 
disciplined army. They were proud of their commander, 
and almost worshipped him. Under his guidance, they 
performed wonders, proving themselves equal to any 
troops in the world. Toussaint was on horseback night 
and day. It seemed as if he never slept. Wherever 
he was needed, he suddenly appeared ; and as he seemed 
to be wanted in twenty places at once, his followers 
thought he had some powers of witchcraft to help him. 
Put the witchcraft consisted in his superior intelligence, 

3 D 



50 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

his remarkable activity, his iron constitution, and his iron 
will. His heart was never of iron. In the midst of con- 
stant warfare he paid careful attention to the raising of 
crops ; and if women and children, black or white, were 
suffering with hunger, he caused them to be supplied 
with food. He and his brave officers and troops every- 
where drove the English before them. The French 
general Laveaux appointed him second to himself in 
command ; and, in his proclamation to that effect, he 
declared : " This is the man whom the Abb^ Raynal 
foretold would rise to be the liberator of his oppressed 
race." 

One day, when he had gained some important ad- 
vantage, a white officer exclaimed, " General Toussaint 
makes an opening everywhere." His black troops heard 
the words, and feeling that he had made an opening for 
them, from the dungeon of Slavery to the sunlight of 
Freedom, they shouted, '-'• L! Ouverture^'' '-'' V Ouverture" ; 
which, being translated into English, means The Open- 
ing. From that day henceforth he was called Toussaint 
rOuverture. 

The English general Maitland, finding him so formida- 
ble, wished to have a conference with him to negotiate 
terms of accommodation. The request was granted ; and 
such was his confidence in the black chieftain that he 
went to his camp with only three attendants, through 
miles of country full of armed negroes. One of the 
French officers wrote to General Toussaint that it would 
be an excellent opportunity to take the English com- 
mander prisoner. General Maitland vvas informed of 
this while he was on his way ; but he said, " I will 
trust General Toussaint. He never breaks his prom- 
ise." When he arrived, General Toussaint handed hini 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 51 

two letters, saying, "There is a letter I have received, 
advising me to detain you as prisoner ; and there is my 
reply. I wish you to read them before we proceed to 
business, that you may know I am incapable of such a 
base action." The answer he had written was, " I have 
promised this Englishman my protection, and he shall 
have it." 

The English, seeing little prospect of conquering him 
by force, or outwitting him by stratagem, tried to bribe 
him to their interest. They offered to make him king 
of St. Domingo, to establish him with a sufficient naval 
force, and give freedom to the blacks, if he would come 
over to their side. But the English still held slaves in 
the neighboring islands, while the French had proclaimed 
emancipation in all their colonies. He felt grateful to 
the Eepublican government of France, and he resolved 
to stand by it. The only crown he coveted was the free- 
dom of his race. He pursued the English vigorously, 
till he drove them from the island. Yet he had no de- 
sire to harm them, any further than was inevitable for 
the protection of his people. An English naval officer, 
named Rainsford, being driven on the coast of St. Do- 
mingo by a violent storm, was arrested as a spy. A 
court-martial was held, at which General Christophe pre- 
sided, in the absence of General Toussaint. Rainsford 
was convicted, and sentenced to die. He was put into 
a dungeon to wait till the sentence was signed by General 
Toussaint. The women of the island pitied the stranger, 
and often sent him fruit and sweetmeats. When Tous- 
saint returned, he examined into the case, and said : 
<• The trial appears to have been fair, and the sentence 
just, according to the rules of war. But why should we 
execute this stranger ? He is alone, and can do us no 



52 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

harm. His death would break his mother's heart. Let 
us have compassion on her. Let us send him home, that 
he may tell the English what, sort of people we are, and 
advise them not to attempt to reduce us to Slavery." 

Having cleared the island of foreign enemies, Toussaint 
exerted all his abilities to restore prosperity. He dis- 
charged the greater part of the regular troops, and sent 
them to till the soil. At that time, men were afraid 
to trust to immediate, unconditional emancipation ; they 
had not then learned by experiment that it is the wisest 
policy, as well as the truest justice. Toussaint feared 
that when the former slaves were disbanded from the 
army they would sink into laziness and vice, and thus 
cause the name of freedom to be evil spoken of. There- 
fore, with the view of guarding public morals, he insti- 
tuted a kind of apprenticeship. He ordained that they 
should work five years for their masters, on condition of 
receiving one fourth of the produce, out of which the cost 
of their subsistence was to be defrayed. Regulations 
were made by which the laborers became a sort of pro- 
prietors of the soil ; but I do not know what were the 
terms. He did everything to encourage agriculture, and 
tried to impress on the minds of the blacks that the per- 
manence of their freedom depended in a great measure 
upon their becoming owners and cultivators of land. He 
proclaimed a general amnesty to men of all colors and all 
parties, even to those who had fought with the English 
against their own country. He invited the return of all 
fugitives who were willing to become good citizens, and 
by public discourses and proclamations promised them 
pardon for the past and protection for the future. Be- 
fore any important measure was carried into execution, 
he summoned all the people to church, where, after 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 53 

prayers were offered, he discoursed to them upon the 
prospects of the republic, and what he considered es- 
sential to its future peace and prosperity. He ordered 
prayers to be said night and morning at the head of the 
regiments. The discipline of the army was so strict, that 
some accused him of severity. But the soldiers almost 
idolized him, which I think they would not have done, 
if he had not proved to them that he was just as well as 
strict. After such a long period of foreign and civil war, 
it required a very firm and judicious hand to restore order 
and security. His troops, once lawless and savage, had 
become perfectly orderly under his regulations. They 
committed no thefts on the plantations and no pillage in 
the cities. He opened to all nations an unrestricted com- 
merce with St. Domingo ; and he has the honor of being 
the first ruler in the world who introduced a system of 
free trade. In the distribution of offices, he sought out 
the men that were best fitted, without regard to complex- 
ion. In many things he seemed to favor the whites more 
than the blacks ; probably from his extreme fear of not 
being impartial ; perhaps also because he knew the whites 
distrusted him and needed to be conciliated, while people 
of his own color had entire confidence in him. But the 
most obstinate prejudices gradually gave way before the 
wisdom and uprightness of his government. White 
planters, who had been accustomed to talk of him as a 
revolted slave and a lawless brigand, began to acknowl- 
edge that he was a conscientious man and a wise legis- 
lator. A general feeling of security prevailed, activity 
in business was restored, and wealth be2;an to flow in 
through its former channels. 

But, with all his prudence and efforts at universal 
conciliation, he could not at once heal the old animosities 



54 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

that had so lons^ rankled in the breasts of men. Some 
of the returned French planters resumed their old habits 
of haughtiness and contempt toward the negroes. Some 
of the proprietors, both white and black, in their haste 
to grow rich, overworked their laborers ; and, in addition 
to these causes of irritation, it was whispered round that 
the whites were influencing the French government to re- 
store Slavery. In one of the northern districts a propo- 
sition was made to disband the black troops. This ex- 
cited suspicion, and they rose in rebellion. Buildings 
were fired, and three hundred whites slaughtered. Tous- 
saint hastened to the scene of action, and by assurances 
and threats quelled the tumult. The command of that 
district was in the hands of General Moyse, the son of 
Toussaint's brother Paul. He disliked the system of 
conciliation pursued toward the whites, and had expressed 
his opinions in terms less respectful than was proper to- 
ward a man of his uncle's age and character. The agri- 
cultural returns from his district had been smaller than 
from other portions of the island; and when Toussaint 
remonstrated with him for neglecting that department, 
he replied : " Whatever my old uncle may see fit to do, 
I cannot consent to be the executioner of my race, by 
causing them to be worked to death. All your orders 
are given in the name of France. But to serve France 
is to serve the interests of the whites ; and I shall never 
love the whites till they give me back the eye I lost in 
battle." When the insurrection broke out in his dis- 
trict, the relatives of the slaughtered whites complained 
to General Toussaint that his nephew had not taken any 
efficient measures to put down the riot ; and the black in- 
surgents excused themselves by saying General Moyse 
approved of their rising. A court-martial was held, and 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 55 

General Moyse and several of the ringleaders were con- 
demned to be shot. The execution of this sentence 
excited a good deal of ill-feeling toward Toussaint. He 
was loudly accused of favoring the whites more than, 
he did his own color ; and to this day it is remembered 
against him in the island. It certainly is the harshest 
action recorded of Toussaint I'Ouverture. But it must 
be remembered that he had invited the wh'tes to come 
back, and had given them promises of protection, because 
he thought the peace and prosperity of the island could 
best be promoted in that way ; and having done so, it 
was his duty to see that their lives and property were 
protected. Moreover, he knew that the freedom of his 
race depended upon their good behavior after they were 
emancipated, and that insurrections would furnish the 
French government with a pretext for reducing them 
to Slavery again. If he punished any of the ringleaders 
with death, he could not, without partiality, pardon his 
own nephew, who had been condemned by the same 
court-martial. In this matter it is fair to judge Tous- 
saint by his general character, and that leaves no room 
to doubt that severity was painful to him, and that when 
he resorted to it he was actuated by motives for the pub- 
lic good. 

That he could forgive offences against himself was 
shown by his treatment of the mulattoes, who made 
trouble in the island about the same time. They had 
never been pleased to see one of the black slaves, whom 
they had always despised, placed in a situation which 
made him so much superior to any of themselves. They 
manifested their dissatisfaction in a variety of ways. 
They did their utmost to increase the feeling that he 
showed partiality to the whites. In several instances 



56 . THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

attempts were made to take his life. At one time, the 
plume in his military cap was shot away. On another 
occasion, balls passed through his carriage, and his coach- 
man was killed ; but he happened to be riding off on 
horsebaok in another direction. This hostile feelinsr led 
the mulattoes into an extensive conspiracy to excite rebel- 
lion against his government. Toussaiut was forewarned 
of it, and the attempt was put down. Eleven of the 
leaders were carried to the Cape and imprisoned. Tous- 
saint called a meeting of the civil and military authori- 
ties, and ordered the building to be surrounded by black 
troops while the mulatto prisoners were brought in under 
guard. They looked extremely dejected, expecting noth- 
ing but death. But he announced to them that, deeming 
the forgiveness of injuries a Christian duty, he pardoned 
what they had attempted to do against him. He gave 
them money to defray their travelling expenses, told 
them they were at liberty to return to their homes, and 
gave orders that they should be protected on the way. 
As he passed out of the building, they showered blessings 
on his head, and the air was filled with shouts of " Lonj; 
live Toussaint I'Ouverture." 

These outbreakings of old hatreds were local and short- 
lived. The confidence in Toussaint's goodness and ability 
was almost universal ; and his popularity was so great with 
all classes, that he might have made himself emperor, if 
he would. But through all the changes in France he 
had been faithful to the French government ; and now to 
the habit of loyalty was added gratitude to that govern- 
ment for having proclaimed freedom to his race. Next 
to the emancipation of his people, he sought to serve the 
interests of France. Personal ambition never tempted 
him from the path of duty. When the affairs of the 



TOUSSAEs^T L'OUVEKTURE. 57 

colony seemed to be arranged on a secure basis, he mani- 
fested willingness to resign the authority which he had 
used with so much wisdom and impartiality. He pub- 
lished a proclamation, in which he said : — 

" Penetrated with that which is set forth in our Lord's 
Prayer, ' forgive us our transgressions, as we forgive 
those who transgress against us,' I have granted a gen- 
eral amnesty. Fellow-citizens, not less generous than 
myself, endeavor to have the past forgotten. Receive 
misled brethren with open arms, and let them in the 
future be on their guard against the snares of bad men. 
Civil and military authorities, my task is accomplished. 
It now belongs to you to take care that harmony is no 
more disturbed. Allow no one to reproach those who 
went astray, but have now returned to their duty. But, 
notwithstanding my proclamation of amnesty, watch bad 
men closely, and do not spare them if they excite disturb- 
ance. A sense of honor should guide you all. A true, 
confiding peace is necessary to the prosperity of the coun- 
try. It must be your work to establi.-h such a peace. 
Take no rest until you have accomplished it." 

The people refused to accept the resignation of their 
" friend and benefactor," as they styled him. He replied: 
" If I undertake the administration of civil affairs, I must 
have a solid rock to stand on ; and that rock must be a 
constitutional government." Feeling the necessity of 
laws and resrulations suited to the altered state of the 
country, he called a meeting of dej)utles from all the 
districts to draft a constitution. Of these nine deputies 
eight were white and one a mulatto. They were se- 
lected for their learning and ability. Very likely Tous- 
saint's habitual caution led him to choose men from the 
two classes that had been hostile to him, that there might 
3* 



58 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

be no pretext for saying he used his popularity with the 
blacks to carry any measure he wished. 

Among other things, this constitution provided that 
Slavery should never more exist in St. Domingo ; that 
all who were born there were free citizens of the French 
republic. It also provided that offices were to be dis- 
tributed according to virtue and ability, without regard 
to color. The island was to be ruled by one governor, 
appointed for five years, with a proviso that the term 
might be prolonged as a reward for good conduct. But 
" in consideration of the important services rendered to 
the country by General Toussaint I'Ouverture," he was 
named governor for life, with power to appoint his suc- 
cessor. This was early in the summer of 1800. The 
constitution, approved by Toussaint and published, was 
accepted by the people with solemn formalities and 
demonstrations of joy. This new colonial government 
w^as to go into operation provisionally, until it should 
receive the sanction of the authorities in France. 

General Napoleon Bonaparte was then at the head of 
the French government, under the title of First Consul. 
Governor Toussaint wrote to him, that, in the absence of 
laws, after the revolution in St. Domingo, it had been 
deemed best to draft a constitution. He added : " I 
hasten to lay it before you for your approbation, and 
for the sanction of the ofovernment which I serve. All 
classes of citizens here have welcomed it with joy, which 
will be renewed when it is sent back with the sanction 
of the French government." 

Some writers have accused Toussaint of personal ambi- 
tion because he consented to be governor for life. He 
himself said it was because circumstances had given him 
influence, which he could exert to unite a divided people; 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 59 

and that he deemed changes of administration might be 
injurious until the new order of things had become more 
settled. 

He assumed all the outward style that had been con- 
sidered befitting the rank of governor and commander- 
in-chief. He had an elegant carriage and a number of 
handsome horses. When he rode out, he was followed 
by attendants in brilHant military dress, and he himself 
wore a rich uniform. On stated days, he gave reception- 
parties, to which magistrates, military ofl[icers, distin- 
guished strangers, and influential citizens were invited. 
There was a good deal of splendor in the dresses on 
such occasions ; but he always appeared in the simple 
undress uniform of a general officer. At these parties, 
whites, blacks, and mulattoes mingled together with mu- 
tual j^oliteness, and it is said that the style of manners 
was easy and elegant. All rose when the Governor 
entered, and none seated themselves until he was seated. 
This was a strange experience for a black man, who was 
formerly a slave ; and it had been brought about, under 
the blessing of God, solely by the strength and excellence 
of his own character. All prejudices gave way before 
his uncommon intelligence, well-tried virtues, and cour- 
teous dignity of manner. 

Every evening he gave free audience to all the people 
who chose to call. His dress was such as the landed pro- 
prietors usually wore. However weary he might be, he 
made the circuit of the rooms, and said something to each 
one on the subjects most likely to interest them. He 
talked with mothers about their children, and urged upon 
them the great importance of giving them religious in- 
struction. Not unfVequently he examined the children 
in their catechisms, and gave a few words of fatherly 
advice to the young folks. 



60 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

He has been accused of vanity for assuming so much 
pomp in his equipage and gentihty in his dress. Doubt- 
less he had some vanity. No human being is free from 
it. But I believe very few men, of any color, could 
have passed through such extraordinary changes as he 
did, and preserved their balance so well. In the style 
he assumed he was probably somewhat influenced by mo- 
tives of policy. He was obliged to receive many distin- 
guished French gentlemen, and he knew they attached 
great importance to dress and equipage. The blacks also 
were fond of splendor, and it gratified them to see their 
great chieftain appear in princely style. The free mu- 
lattoes, who despised his mean birth, would have spared 
no ridicule if he had been neglectful of outward appear- 
ances ; and in his peculiar situation it was important to 
command res.pect in every way. His person also needed 
every borrowed advantage that it could obtain. His fig- 
ure was short and slim, and his features were homely, 
though his bright, penetrating eyes gave his face an 
expression of animation and intelligence. With these 
disadvantages, and a deficiency of education, betrayed 
by imperfect grammar, it is wonderful how he swayed 
assemblies of men whenever he addressed them. The 
secret lay in his great earnestness. Wliatever he said, 
he said it with his whole soul, and therefore it took pos- 
session of the souls of others. 

Though he paid so much attention to external show 
in public, his own personal habits were extremely simple 
and frugal. There was a large public house at the Cape, 
called The Hotel of the Republic, frequented by whites 
and blacks, officers and privates. Toussaint I'Ouverture 
often took a seat at the table in any chair that happened 
to be vacant. If any one rose to offer him a higher seat, 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 61 

he would bow courteously, and reply, " Distinctions are 
to be observed only on public occasions." His food 
consisted of vegetable preparations, and he drank water 
only. lie had a wonderful capacity of doing without 
sleep. During the years that so many public cares de- 
volved upon him, it is said he rarely slept more than two 
hours out of the twenty-four. He thought more than b.e 
spoke, and what he said was uttered in few words. Sur- 
rounded as he was by inquisitive and treacherous people, 
this habit of reserve was of great use to him. Enemies 
accused him of being deceitful. The charge was probably 
grounded on the fact that he knew how to keep his own 
secrets ; for there are many proofs that he was in real- 
ity honest and sincere. It is singular how he escaped 
the contagion of impurity which always pollutes society 
where Slavery exists. But his respect and affection for 
his wife was very constant, and he was always clean in 
his manners and his language. A colored lady appeared 
at one of his reception-parties dressed very low at the 
neck, according to the prevailing Parisian fa«;hion. When 
he had greeted her, he placed a handkerchief on her 
shoulders, and said in a low voice, " Modesty is the 
greatest ornament of woman." 

His ability and energy as a statesman were even more 
remarkable than his courage and skill as a military leader. 
He was getting old, and he was covered with the scars of 
wounds received in many battles ; but he travelled about 
with wonderful rapidity, inspecting everything with his 
own eyes, and personally examining into the conduct 
of magistrates and officers. Often, after riding some 
distance in a carriage, he would mount a swift horse 
and ride off in another direction, while the coach went 
on. In this way, he would make his appearance sud- 



62 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

clenly at places where he was not expected, and ascertain 
how things went on in his absence. It was a common 
practice with him to traverse from one hundred to one 
hundred and fifty miles a day. After giving his even- 
ing audience to the people, he sat up late into the night 
answering letters, of which he received not less than a 
hundred daily. He dictated to five secretaries at once, 
so long that he tired them all ; and he examined every 
letter when finished, that he might be sure his dictation 
had not been misunderstood. 

The eastern part of the island had been ceded to the 
French by treaty, but had never been given up by the 
Spani^^h, who still held slaves there. Complaints were 
brought to General Toussaint that the Spaniards kid- 
napped both blacks and mulattoes from the western 
part of the island, where all were free, and carried 
them off to sell them to slave-traders. Resolved to 
destroy Slavery, root and branch, throughout the island, 
in January, 1801, he marched into the Spanish territory 
at the head of ten thousand soldiers. The Spanish blacks 
were desirous to come under French dominion, in order 
to secure their freedom, and the whites offered but slight 
resistance. Having taken possession of the territory in 
the name of the French republic, he issued a proclama- 
tion, in which he declared that all past offences should 
be forgotten, and that the welfare and happiness of Span- 
iards and Frenchmen should be equally protected. He 
then assembled his troops in the churches and caused 
prayers of thanksgiving to be offered for the success of 
their enterprise, almost without bloodshed. IVIost of the 
wealthy Spanish slaveholders made arrangements to de- 
part to Cuba and other neighboring islands. But the 
main body of the people received General Toussaint 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 63 

with the greatest distinction. As he passed through the 
principal towns, he was everywhere greeted with thunder 
of artillery, ringing of bells, and loud acclamations of the 
populace. 

Under his wise and watchful administration all classes 
were protected, and all parts of the country became pros- 
perous. The desolations occasioned by so many years of 
warfare were rapidly repaired. Churches were rebuilt, 
schools established^ waste lands brought under cultiva- 
tion, and distances shortened by new and excellent roads. 
The French commissioner Roume was struck with admi- 
ration of his plans, and pronounced him to be " a philoso- 
pher, a legislator, a general, and a good citizen." The 
Frenchman, Lavoque, who was well acquainted with him 
and the condition of the people, said to Bonaparte, " Sire, 
let things remain as they are in St. Domingo. It is the 
happiest spot in your dominions." The historian Lacroix, 
though prejudiced against blacks, wrote, "That the island 
was preserved to the French government was solely ow- 
insT to an old negro, who seemed to bear a commission 
from Heaven." Strangers who visited St. Domingo ex- 
pressed their surprise to see cities rising from their ashes, 
fields waving with harvests, and the harbors filled with 
ships. Planters, who had fled with their families to vari- 
ous parts of the world heard such good accounts of the 
activity of business, and the security of property, that 
many of them so far overcame their repugnance to be 
governed by a negro as to ask permission to return. 
This was easily obtained, and they were received by the 
Governor without anything on his part which they might 
deem offensive familiarity, but with a dignified courtesy 
which prevented familiarity, or airs of condescension, on 
their side. He had annually sent some token of remem- 



64 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

brance to M. Bayou de Libertas, then residing in the 
United States. He now wrote to invite him to return 
to St. Domingo. The invitation was gladly accepted. 
When he arrived, he was received with marked kind- 
ness, but with dignified reserve. Governor Toussaint 
evidently did not wish bystanders to be reminded of the 
former relation that existed between them as overseer 
and slave. " Return to the plantation," said he, " and 
take care of the interests of the good old master. See 
that the blacks do their duty. Be firm, but just. You 
will thus advance your own prosperity, and at the same 
time increase the prosperity of the colony." 

This return of the old slaveholders excited some un- 
easiness among the black laborers. But Toussaint, who 
often spoke to them in simple parables, sprinkled a few 
grains of rice into a vessel of shot, and shook it. " See," 
said he, " how few grains of white there are among the 
black." ' 

At that time General Napoleon Bonaparte had become 
very famous by his victories, and had recently been made 
ruler of France. There were many points of resemblance 
between his career and that of the hero of St. Domingo ; 
and it was a common thing for people to say, " Napoleon 
is the First of the Whites, and Toussaint TOuverture 
is the First of the Blacks." If General Tou>saint had 
known the real character of Napoleon, he would not have 
felt flattered by being compared with such a selfish, ty- 
rannical, and treacherous man. But, like the rest of the 
world, he was dazzled by his brilliant reputation, and felt 
that it was a great honor to him to be called the " The 
Black Napoleon." The vainest thing that is recorded 
of him is that on one of his official letters to Bonaparte 
he wrote, " To the First of the Whites, from the First 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 65 

of the Blacks." It was a departure from his usual habits 
of dignity, and was also poor policy ; for Bonaparte had 
been rendered vain by his great success, and he was un- 
der the influence of aristocratic planters from St. Do- 
mingo, who would have regarded it as a great insult to 
couple their names with a negro. General Toussaint 
soon had reason to suspect he had been mistaken in the 
character of the famous man, whom he had so much ad- 
mired. He wrote several deferential letters to Bonaparte, 
on official business ; but the First Consul never conde- 
scended to make any reply. It was soon rumored abroad 
that proprietors of estates in St. Domingo, residing in 
France, were urging him to send an army to St. Domingo 
to reduce the blacks again to Slavery. Governor Tous- 
saint could Dot believe that the French government would 
be persuaded to break the solemn promises it had made 
to the colony. But when he sent General Vincent to 
Paris to obtain Bonaparte's sanction to the new constitu- 
tion, the wicked scheme was found to be making rapid 
progress. In vain General Vincent remonstrated against 
it as a measure cruel and dangerous. In vain he repre- 
sented the contented, happy, and prosperous state of the 
island. In vain did many wise and good men in Paris 
urge that such a step would be unjust in itself and very 
disgraceful to France. The First Consul turned a deaf 
ear to all but the haughty old planters from St. Domingo. 
The Legislative Assembly in France, though still talk- 
ing loudly about liberty and the rights of man, were not 
ashamed to propose the restoration of Slavery and the 
slave-trade in the colonies ; and the wicked measure was 
carried by a vote of two hundred and twelve against 
sixty-five. In May, 1801, Bonaparte issued a decree to 
that effect. But he afterwards considered it prudent to 



66 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

announce that the islands of St. Domingo and Guada- 
loupe were to be excepted. 

When this news reached St. Domingo, the people were 
excited and alarmed. They asked each other anxiously, 
" How long shall we be excepted ? " On that point no 
assurances were given, and all suspected that the French 
government was dealing with them hypocritically and 
treacherously. The soul of Toussaint was on fire. If 
the names of the men who voted for the restoration of 
Slavery were mentioned in his presence, his eyes flashed 
and his whole frame shook with indignation. He pub- 
lished a proclamation, in which he counselled obedience to 
the mother country, unless circumstances should make it 
evident that resistance was unavoidable. In private, he 
said to his friends : " I took up arms for the freedom of 
my color. France proclaimed it, and she has no right 
to nullify it. Our liberty is no longer in her hands ; it 
is in our own. We will defend it, or perish." 

General Toussaint had sent his two eldest sons to Paris 
to be educated. As a part of the plan of deception, Gen- 
eral Bonaparte invited the young men to visit him. He 
spoke of their father as a great man, who had rendered 
very important services to France. He told them he 
was going to send his brother-in-law, General Le Clerc, 
with troops to St. Domingo ; but he at^sured them it was 
not for any hostile purpose ; it was merely to add to the 
defence of the island. He wished them to go with Gen- 
eral Le Clerc and tell their father that he intended him 
all protection, glory, and honor. The next day Bona- 
parte's Minister of Marine invited the young men to a 
sumptuous dinner, and at parting presented each with 
a splendid military uniform. The inexperienced youths 
were completely dazzled and deceived. 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 67 

In January, 1802, General Le Clerc sailed with sixty- 
ships and thirty thousand of Bonaparte's experienced 
troops. When Governor Toussaint received tidings that 
a French fleet was in sight, he galloped to the coast they 
were approaching, to take a view of them. He was dis- 
mayed, and for a moment discouraged. He exclaimed, 
"All France has come to enslave St. Dorainijo. We 
must perish." Pie had no vessels, and not more than 
sixteen thousand men under arms. But his native energy 
soon returned. The people manifested a determination 
to die rather than be enslaved again. He resolved to 
attempt no attack on the French, but to act wholly on 
the defensive. Le Clerc's army attacked Fort Liberty, 
killed half the garrison, and forced a landing on the isl- 
and. Toussaint entrenched himself in a position where 
he could harass the invaders ; and the peaceful, prosper- 
ous island again smoked with fire and blood. Le Clerc, 
still aiming to accomplish Bonaparte's designs by hypoc- 
risy, scattered proclamations among the blacks of St. Do- 
mingo, representing that Toussaint kept them in a kind 
of Slavery on the plantations, but that the French had 
come to set them wholly free. This did not excite the 
rebellion which he intended to provoke, but it sowed the 
seeds of doubt and discontent in the minds of some. At 
the same time that he was playing this treacherous game, 
he sent Toussaint's two sons to their father, accompanied 
by their French tutor, to deliver a letter from the First 
Consul, which ought to have been sent three months be- 
fore. The letter was very complimentary to General 
Toussaint ; but it objected to the constitution that had 
been formed, and spoke in a very general way about the 
liberty which France granted to all nations under her 
control. It counselled submission to General Le Clerc, 



68 THE FREEDJIEN'S BOOK. 

and threatened punishment for disobedience. The tone 
of the letter, though apparently peaceful and friendly, 
excited distrust in the mind of General Toussaint, which 
was increased by the fact that the letter had been so long 
kept from him. Knowing the strength of his domestic 
affections, orders had been given that if he surrendered, 
his sons should remain with him, but if he refused they 
were to return to the French camp as hostages. Though 
his heart yearned toward his children, from whom he had 
been so long separated, he said to their tutor : " Three 
months after date you bring me a letter which promises 
peace, while the action of General Le Clerc is war. I 
had established order and justice here ; now all is confu- 
sion and misery. Take back my sons. I cannot receive 
them as the price of my surrender. Tell General Le 
Clerc hostilities will cease on our part when he stops the 
progress of his invading army." His sons told him how 
kindly they had been treated by Bonaparte, and what 
promises he had made concerning St. Domingo, — prom- 
ises which had been repeated in the proclamation brought 
by General Le Clerc. Toussaint had had too severe an 
experience to be easily deceived by fair words. He re- 
plied : " My sons, you are no longer children. You are 
old enough to decide for yourselves. If you wish to be 
on the side of France, you are free to do so. Stay with 
me, or return to General Le Clerc, whichever you choose. 
Either way, I shall love you always." Isaac, his oldest 
son, had been so deceived by flattery and promises, that 
he declared his wish to return to the French camp, feel- 
ii)g very sure that his father would be convinced that 
Bonaparte was their best friend. But Placide, his step- 
son, said : " My fatlier, I will remain with you. I dread 
the restoration of Slavery, and I am fearful about the 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 69 

future of St. Domingo." "Who can tell what a pang went 
through the father's heart when he embraced Isaac and 
bade him farewell ? 

General Le Clerc was very angry when he found that 
his overtures were distrusted. He swore that he would 
seize Toussaint before he took his boots off. He forth- 
with issued a proclamation declaring him to be an outlaw. 
When General Toussaint read it to his soldiers, they cried 
out with one accord, " We will die with you." He said 
to his officers : " When the rainy season comes, sickness 
will rid us of our enemies. Till then there is nothing 
before us but flame and slaughter." Orders were given 
to fire the towns as the French army approached, and to 
deal destruction upon them in every way. He gathered 
his army together at the entrance of the mountains, and, 
aided by his brave generals Christophe and Dessalines, 
kept up active skirmishing with the enemy. Horrible 
things were done on both sides. The Bay of Mancenille 
was red with the blood of negro prisoners slaughtered 
by the French. The blacks, infuriated by revenge and 
dread of Slavery, killed white men, women, and children 
without mercy. General Dessalines was of a savage 
temper, and incited his troops to the most ferocious 
deeds. 

But the natural kindliness of the negro character was 
manifested on many occasions, even in the midst of this 
horrible excitement. In many cases they guided their 
old masters to hiding-places in the mountains or forests, 
and secretly conveyed them food. 

Toussaint, with only a plank to sleep on and a cloak 
to cover him, was constantly occupied with planning at- 
tacks and ambuscades, and preaching on Sundays, exhort- 
ing the people, with fiery eloquence, to remember that 



70 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

the cause of Liberty was the cause of God. General 
Le Clerc, meanwhile, was disappointed to find so many 
difficulties in the way of his wicked jDroject. His troops 
wilted under the increasing heat of the climate, and began 
to murmur. He issued proclamations, promising, in the 
most solemn manner, that the freedom of all classes in 
St. Domingo should be respected. These assurances in- 
duced several black regiments to go over to the French. 
Toussaint's brother Paul, and two of his ablest generals, 
Bellair and Maurepas, did the same. Still the Com^ 
mander-in-Chief, aided by Christophe and Dessalines, 
kept up a stout resistance. But news came that fresh 
troops were coming from France, and Christophe and 
Dessalines had an interview with General Le Clerc, in 
which, by fair promises, he succeeded in gaining them 
over to the French side. A messenger was then sent to 
ask for a conference with General Toussaint. Solemn 
assurances were repeated that the freedom of the blacks 
should be protected ; and a proposition was made that he 
should be colleague with General Le Clerc in the govern- 
ment of the island, and that his oflftcers should retain 
their rank in the army. With reinforcements coming 
from France, and with his best generals gained over, 
Toussaint had no longer hopes of defeating the invad- 
ers, though he might send out skirmishers to annoy 
them. He had too little faith in the promises of Gen- 
eral Le Clerc to consent to take an oath of ofiice under 
him. He therefore replied : " I might remain a brigand 
in the mountains, and harass you with perpetual warfare, 
so far as your power to prevent it is concerned. But I 
disdain fighting for mere bloodshed ; and, in obedience 
to the orders of the First Consul, I yield to you. For 
myself, I wish to live in retirement ; but I accept your 
favorable terms for the people and the array." 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 71 

With four hundred armed horsemen he set out for the 
Cape, to hold the proposed conference with General Le 
Clerc. On the way, the people, thinking peace was se- 
cured without the sacrifice of their freedom, hailed him 
as their benefactor. Girls strewed flowers in his path, 
and mothers held up their children to bless him. Gen- 
eral Le Clerc received him with a salute of artillery, 
and made a speech in which he highly complimented 
his bravery, magnanimity, and good faith, and expressed 
a hope that, though he chose to live in retirement, he 
would continue to assist the government of the island 
by his wise counsels. In the presence of the troops on 
both sides, he took an oath on the cross to protect the 
freedom of St. Domingo. With the same solemn formaU- 
ties. General Toussaint promised that the treaty of peace 
should be faithfully observed. 

The next day, he explained fully to his officers and 
soldiers what were the terms of the treaty, and im- 
pressed upon their minds that such a promise could not 
be violated without committing the sin of perjury. He 
thanked them all for the courage and devotedness they had 
shown under his command, embraced his officers, and bade 
them an affectionate farewell. They shed tears, and ex- 
pressed the greatest reluctance to part with him ; but he 
told them that such a course would best conduce to public 
tranquillity. The soldiers were inconsolable. They fol- 
lowed him, calling out in the saddest tones, " Have you 
deserted us ? " He replied : " No, my children. Do not 
be uneasy. Your officers are all under arms, and at their 
posts." 

Twelve years had passed since he was working on the 
Breda estate, and seeing houses and cane-fields on fire in 
every direction, had said to his wife, " The slaves have 



72 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

risen." Since that time, his life had been one scene of 
excitement, danger, ceaseless exertion, and overwhelming 
responsibility. He had been commander-in-chief of the 
armies of St. Domingo during five years, and governor 
of the island about one year. Now, with a heart full 
of anxiety for his people, but cheered by hopes of domes- 
tic happiness, he retired, far from the scene of his official 
splendor, to Ennery, a beautiful valley among the moun- 
tains. Surrounded by his family, he busied himself with 
clearing up the land and cultivating oranges, bananas, 
and coffee. The people round about often came to him 
for advice, and he freely assisted his neighbors in making 
repairs and improvements. Strangers often visited him, 
and when he rode abroad he was greeted with every 
demonstration of respect. 

General Le Clerc, meanwhile, was attacked by a new 
and terrible enemy. His troops, unused to the climate, 
were cut down by yellow fever, as a mower cuts grass. 
In this situation, had Toussaint excited the blacks against 
them, they might have been exterminated ; but he had 
sworn to observe the treaty, and he was never known 
to break his word. The kind-hearted negroes, in many 
cases, took pity on tlie suffering French soldiers ; they 
carried them many little comforts, and even took them 
into their houses, and nursed them tenderly. 

Meanwhile, General Le Clerc's difficulties increased. 
His troops were dying fast under the influence of the 
hot season ; provisions were getting scarce ; he wanted 
to disband the negro troops that had joined him, but they 
were wide awake and suspicious on the subject of Slavery, 
and he dared not propose to disarm them. He was so 
treacherous himself that he could not believe in the sin- 
cerity of others. He was always suspecting that Tons- 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 73 

saint would again take command of the blacks and attack 
the remnant of his army while it was enfeebled by dis- 
ease. Bonaparte also felt that the popularity of Tous- 
saint stood much in the way of his accomplishing the 
design of restoring Slavery. It was desirable to get him 
out of the way upon some pretext. The French officers 
made him the object of a series of petty insults, and 
wantonly destroyed tlie fruit on his grounds. By these 
means they hoped to provoke him to excite an insurrec- 
tion, that they might have an excuse for arresting him. 
His friends warned him that these continual insults and 
depredations foreboded mischief, and that he ought not 
to submit to them. He replied, " It is a sacred duty to 
expose life when the freedom of one's country is in peril ; 
but to rouse the people to save one's own life is inglorious." 
Finding private remonstrances of no use, he reported 
to the French head-quarters that he and his neighbors 
were much annoyed by the conduct of the French troops, 
and that the people in the valley were made very uneasy 
by their rude manners and their depredations on property. 
He received a very polite answer from General Brunet, 
inviting him to come to his house to confer with him on 
that and other matters connected with the public tran- 
quillity. The letter closed with these words : " You will 
not find all the pleasures I would wish to welcome you 
with, but you will find the frankness of an honorable 
man, who desires nothing but the happiness of the colony, 
and your own happiness. If Madame Toussaint, with 
whom it would give me the greatest pleasure to become 
acquainted, could accompany you, I should be gratified. 
If she has occasion for horses, 1 will send her mine. 
Never, General, will you find a more sincere friend than 
myself." 



74 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Toussaint, who was sincerely desirous to preserve the 
public peace, and who was too honest to suspect treach- 
ery under such a friendly form, went to General Brunet's 
head-quarters, with a few attendants, on the lOthof Jiine, 
1802. He was received with the greatest respect and 
cordiality. His host consulted with him concerning the 
interests of the colony; and they examined maps together 
till toward evening, when General Brunet left the room. 
An officer with twenty armed men entered, saying : 
" The Captain- General has ordered me to arrest you. 
Your attendants are overpowered. If you resist, you 
are a dead man." Toussaint's first impulse was to de- 
fend himself; but seeing it would be useless against such 
numbers, he resigned himself to his hard fate, saying, 
" Heaven will avenge my cause." 

His papers were seized, his house rifled and burned, 
his wife and children captured, and at midnight they 
were all carried on board the French ship Hero, with- 
out being allowed to take even a change of clothing. 
His wrists were chained, he was locked in a cabin 
guarded by soldiers with fixed bayonets, and not per- 
mitted to hold any communication with his family. As 
the vessel sailed away from St. Domingo, Toussaint, 
gazing on the outline of its mountains for the last time, 
said, " They have cut down the tree of Liberty ; but the 
roots are many and deep, and it will sprout again." 

Toussaint I'Ouverture was even then incajoable of im- 
agining the base designs against him. He supposed that 
he had been accused of something, and was to be carried 
to France for trial. Conscious of uniform fidelity to the 
French government, he felt no uneasiness as to the re- 
sult, though the treachery and violence with which he 
liad been treated in return for his great services made 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTUEE. 75 

him very sad. Arrived on the shores of France, he was 
removed to another vessel, and allowed only a few mo- 
ments to say farewell to his wife and children. They 
embraced him with tears, and begged him to remember 
them, who had always loved him so dearly. 

From the vessel, instead of being carried to Paris for 
trial, as he expected, he was hurried into a carriage, and, 
followed by a strong guard, was carried to the dismal 
Castle of Joux, near the borders of Switzerland. That 
ancient castle stands among the mountains of Jura, on 
the summit of a solid rock five hundred feet high. He 
was placed in a deep, dark dungeon, from the walls of 
which the water dripped continually. This was in Au- 
gust, 1802. But though it was summer elsewhere, it 
was damp and cold in Toussaint's dreary cell. The 
keeper was allowed about four shillings a day to pro- 
vide food for him ; and one faithful servant, who had 
accompanied the family from St. Domingo, was allowed 
to remain with him. 

His spirits were kept up for some time with the daily 
expectation of being summoned to attend his trial. But 
time passed on, and he could obtain no tidings from the 
French government, or from his family. In a letter 
to General Bonaparte, beseeching him to let him know 
of what he was accused, and to grant him a trial, he 
wrote : — 

" I have served my country with honor, fidelity, and 
integrity. All who know me will do me the justice to 
acknowledge this. At the time of Jhe revolution, I spent 
all I had in the service of my country. I purchased but 
one small estate, on which to establish my wife and family. 
I neglected nothing for the welfare of St. Domingo. T 
made it my duty and pleasure to develop all the resources 



76 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

of that beautiful colony. Since I entered the service of 
the republic I have not claimed a penny of my salary. 
I have taken money from the treasury only for public 
use. If I was wrong in forming a constitution, it was 
through my great desire to do good, and thinking it 
would please the government under which I served. I 
have had the misfortune to incur your displeasure ; but 
I am strong in the consciousness of integrity and fidelity ; 
and I dare affirm that among all the servants of the state 
no one is more honest than myself." 

This letter is still in existence, and some of the words 
are blotted out by tears that fell while the noble captive 
was writing it. Bonaparte paid no attention to this manly 
appeal. After weary waiting, Toussaint wrote again : — 

" First Consul, it is a misfortune to me that I am not 
known to you. If you had thoroughly known me while 
I was in St. Domingo, you would have done me more 
justice. I am not learned ; I am ignorant : but my heart 
is good. My father showed me the road to virtue and 
honor, and I am very strong in my conscience in that 
matter. If I had not been so devoted to the French 
government I should not be here. All my life I have 
been in active service, and now I am a miserable prisoner, 
without power to do anything, sunk in grief, and with 
health impaired. I ask you for my freedom, that I may 
labor for the support of my family. For my venerable 
father, now a hundred and five years old, who is blind, 
and needs my assistance ; for my dearly loved wife, who, 
separated from me, -cannot, I fear, endure the afflic- 
tions that overwhelm her ; and for my cherished family, 
who have made the happiness of my life. I call on 
your greatness. Let your heart be softened by my mis- 
fortunes." 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 77 

This touching appeal met with the same fate as the 
first. Bonaparte even had the meanness to forbid the 
prisoner's wearing an officer's uniform. When he asked 
for a change of clothing, the cast-off suit of a soldier and 
a pair of old boots were sent him. There seemed to be 
a deliberate system of heaping contempt upon him. The 
daily sum allowed for his food was diminished, and the 
cold winds of autumn began to howl round his dungeon. 
They doubtless thought that so old a man, accustomed to 
tropical warmth, and the devotion of a loving family, 
would die under the combined influence of solitude, cold, 
and scanty food. But his iron constitution withstood the 
severe test. The next step was to deprive him of his 
faithful servant, Mars Plaisir. Seeing him weep bitterly, 
Toussaint said to him : " Would I could console thee under 
this cruel separation. Be assured I shall never forget 
thy faithful services. Carry my last farewell to my wife 
and family." 

The farewell never reached them. Mars Plaisir was 
lodged in another prison, lest he should tell of the slow 
murder that was going on in the Castle of Joux. Tous- 
saint's supply of food was gradually diminished, till he 
had barely enough to keep him alive, — merely a little 
meal daily, which he ha4 to prepare for himself in an 
earthen jug. The walls sparkled with frost, and the 
floor was slippery with ice, except immediately around 
his little fire. Thus he passed through a most miserable 
winter. He was thin as a skeleton ; but still he did not 
die. As a last resort, the governor of the castle went 
away and took the keys of the dungeon with him. He 
was gone three days ; and when he returned, Toussaint 
was lying stiff and cold on his heap of straw. Doctors 
were called in to examine him, and they certified that he 



78 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

died of apoplexy. This was in April, 1803, after he 
had been more than eight months in that horrid dungeon, 
and when he was a little more than sixty years old. The 
body was buried in the chapel under the castle. It was 
given out to the world that the deceased prisoner was 
a revolted slave, who had been guilty of every species 
of robbery and cruelty; and that he had been thrown into 
prison for plotting to deliver the island of St. Domingo 
into the hands of the English. 

When the family of Toussaint I'Ouverture were in- 
formed of his death, they were overwhelmed with grief, 
though they had no idea of the horrid circumstances con- 
nected with it. The two oldest sons tried to escape from 
France, but were seized and imprisoned. The French 
government feared the consequences of their returning 
to St. Domingo. The youngest son soon after died of 
consumption. Madame Toussaint sank under the weight 
of her great afflictions. Her health became very feeble, 
and at times her mind wandered. When the power of 
Bonaparte was overthrown, and a new government intro- 
duced into France, a pension was granted for her support, 
and her two sons were released from j)i'ison. She died 
in their arms in 1816. 

There was great consternation in St. Domhigo when 
it was known tliat Toussaint I'Ouverture had been kid- 
napped and carried off. There was an attempt at mutiny 
among the black soldiers ; but the leaders were shot by 
the French, and the spirit of insurrection was put down 
for a time. No tidings could be obtained from Toussaint, 
and after a while he was generally believed to be dead. 
But his prediction was fulfilled. The tree of Liberty, 
that had been cut down, did sprout again. Bonaparte 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 79 

sent new troops to St. Domingo to supply the place of 
those cut off by yellow fever. The French officers fre- 
quently subjected black soldiers to the lash, a punishment 
which had never been inflicted upon them since the days 
of Slavery. An active slave-trade was carried on with 
the other French colonies, where Slavery had been re- 
stored, and people were frequently smuggled away from 
St. Domingo and sold. The mulattoes found out that 
people of their color were sold, as well as blacks. They 
had formerly acted against their mothers' race, not be- 
cause they were worse than other men, but because they 
had the same human nature that other men have. Being 
free born, and many of them educated and wealthy, and 
slaveholders also, they despised the blacks, who had al- 
ways been slaves ; but when Slavery touched people of 
their own color, they were ready to act with the negroes 
against the whites. Toussaint's generals, though they 
still held their old rank in the army, grew more and 
more distrustful of the French. When General Chris- 
tophe accepted an invitation to dine with General Le 
Clerc, he ordered his troops to be in readiness for a sud- 
den blow. The French officer who sat next him at table 
urged him to drink a great deal of wine ; but Christophe 
was on his guard, and kept his wits about him. At last 
he repulsed the offer of wine with great rudeness, where- 
upon Le Clerc summoned his guard to be in readiness, 
and began to accuse Toussaint of treachery to the 
whites. " Treachery ! " exclaimed the indignant Chris- 
tophe. " Have you not broken oaths and treaties, and 
violated the sacred rights of hospitality? Those whose 
blood flows for our liberty are rewarded with prison, 
banishment, death. Friends, soldiers, heroes of our 
mountains, are no longer around me. Toussaint, the 



80 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

pride of our race, the terror of our enemies, whose genius 
led us from Slavery to Liberty, who adorned peace with 
lovely virtues, whose glory fills the world, was put in 
irons, like the vilest criminal ! " 

General Le Clerc deemed it prudent to preserve out- 
ward composure, for General Christophe had informed 
him that troops were in readiness to protect him. But 
notwithstanding many ominous symptoms of discontent 
among the blacks and mulattoes, he blindly persevered 
in carrying out the cruel policy of Bonaparte. Ship- 
loads of slaves were brought into St. Domingo and 
openly sold. Then came a decree authorizing slave- 
holders to resume their old authority over the blacks. 
Bitterly did Toussaint's officers regret having trusted 
to the promises of the French authorities. The con- 
sciousness of having been deceived made the fire of 
freedom burn all the more fiercely in their souls. The 
blacks were everywhere ready to die rather than be 
slaves again. In November, 1803, General Christophe 
published a document in which he said : — 

" The independence of St. Domingo is proclaimed. 
Toward men who do us justice we will act as brothers. 
But we have sworn not to listen with clemency to any 
one who speaks to us of Slavery. "We will be inexora- 
ble, perhaps even cruel, toward those who come from 
Europe to bring among us death and servitude. No 
sacrifice is too costly, and all means are lawful, when 
men find that freedom, the gi'eatest of all blessings, is 
to be wrested from them." 

The closing scenes of the revolution were too horrible 
to be described. General Rochambeau, who commanded 
the French army after the death of General Le Clerc, 
was a tyrannical and cruel tool of the slaveholders. 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE. 81 

Everywhere colored men were seized and executed 
without forms of law. Maurepas, who had been one 
of Toussaint's most distino;uished ojenerals, was seized on 
suspicion of favoring insurrection. His epaulets were 
nailed to his shoulders with spikes, he was suspended 
from the yard-arm of a vessel, while his wife and chil- 
dren, and four hundred of his black soldiers, were thrown 
over to the sharks before his eyes. The trees were hung 
with the corpses of negroes. Some were torn to pieces 
by bloodhounds trained for the purpose ; some were 
burnt alive. Sixteen of Toussaint's bravest generals 
were chained by the neck to the rocks of an uninhab- 
ited island, and left there to perish. Most of these vic- 
tims were firm in the midst of their tortures, and died 
with the precious word Freedom on their lips. A 
mother, whose daughters were going to be executed, 
said to them : " Be thankful. You will not live to be 
the motliers of slaves." 

I am happy to record that all the whites were not 
destitute of feehng. Some sea-captains, who were or- 
dered to take negroes out to sea and drown them, con- 
trived to aid their escape to the mountains, or landed 
them on other shores. 

The blacks, driven to desperation, became as cruel as 
their oppressors. They visited upon white men, women, 
and children all the barbarities they had seen and suf- 
fered. The wife of General Paul, brother of Toussaint, 
was dragged from her peaceful home, and drowned by 
French soldiers. This murder made him perfectly crazy 
with revenge. Though naturally of a mild disposition, 
he thenceforth had no mercy on anybody of white com- 
plexion. His old father, Gaou-Guinou, who survived 
Toussaint about a year, was filled with the same spirit, 

4* P . 



82 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

and tlie last words he uttered were a malediction on the 
whites. The spirit of the infernal regions raged through- 
out all classes, and it was all owing to the wickedness of 
Slavery. 

On tlie last day of November, 1803, little more than 
a year after the abduction of Toussaint, the French were 
driven from the island, never more to return. The colony, 
which might have been a source of wealth to them, if 
Toussaint had been allowed to carry out his plans, was 
lost to France forever. St. Domingo became indepen- 
dent, under its old name of Hayti ; and General Chris- 
tophe, who was as able as Toussaint, but more ambitious, 
was proclaimed emperor. A law was passed, and still re- 
mains in force, that no white man should own a foot of 
soil on the island. But white Americans and Europeans 
reside there, and transact various kinds of bui^iness under 
the protection of equal laws. 

Perhaps it sometimes seemed to Toussaint, in the 
loneliness of his dunojeon, as if all his o^reat sacrifices 
and efforts for his oppressed race had been in vain. But 
they were not in vain. God raised him up to do a great 
work, which he faithfully performed ; and his spirit is still 
" marching on." Slavery becomes more and more odious 
in the civilized world, and nation after nation abolishes it. 
Fifty years after the death of Toussaint all the slaves in 
the French colonies were emancipated. How his spirit 
must rejoice to look on the West Indies now ! 

In 1850 the grave of Toussaint I'Ouverture was dis 
covered by some engineers at work on the Castle of 
Joux. His skull was placed on a shelf in the dungeon 
where he died, and is shown to travellers who visit the 
place. 

For a long while great injustice was done to the mem- 



TOUSSAINT L'OUVEETURE. 83 

ory of Toussaint I'Ouverture, and also to the blacks who 
fought so fiercely in resistance of Slavery ; for the histo- 
ries of St. Domingo were written by prejudiced French 
writers, or by equally prejudiced mulattoes. But at hist 
the truth is made known. Candid, well-informed persons 
now acknowledge that the blacks of St. Domingo sinned 
cruelly because they were cruelly sinned against ; and 
Toussaint I'Ouverture, seen in the light of his own ac- 
tions, is acknowledged to be one of the greatest and best 
men the world has ever produced. A very distinguished 
English poet, named Wordsworth, has written an ad- 
mirable sonnet to his memory. The celebrated Harriet 
Martineau, of England, has made him the hero of a beau- 
tiful novel. Wendell Phillips, one of the most eloquent 
speakers in the United States, has eulogized his memory 
in a noble lecture, delivered in various parts of the coun- 
try, before thousands and thousands of hearers. And 
James Redpath has recently published in Boston a biog- 
raphy of Toussaint I'Ouverture, truthfully portraying the 
pure anc^great soul of that martyred hero. 

Well may the Freedmen of the United States take 
pride in Toussaint I'Ouverture, as the man who made an 
opening of freedom for their oppressed race, and by the 
greatness of his character and achievements proved the 
capabilities of Black Men. 



It is better to be a lean freeman than a fat slave. — 
A Proverb in Hayti. 



84 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



THE ASPIRATIONS OF MINGO. 

A SLAVE in one of our Southern States, named 
Mingo, was endowed with uncommon abilities. If 
he had been a white man, his talents would have secured 
him an honorable position ; but being colored, his great 
intelligence only served to make him an object of suspi- 
cion. He was thrown into prison, to be sold. He wrote 
the following lines on the walls, which were afterward 
found and copied. A Southern gentleman sent them to 
a friend in Boston, as a curiosity, and they were published 
in the Boston Journal, many years ago. The night after 
Mingo wrote them, he escaped from the slave-prison ; but 
he was tracked and caught by bloodhounds, who tore 
him in such a shocking manner that he died. By that 
dreadful process his great soul was released from his 
enslaved body. His wife lived to be an aged* woman, 
and was said to have many of his poems in her posses- 
sion. Here are the lines he wrote in his agony while 
in prison : — 

" Good God ! and must I leave them now, 
My wife, my children, in their woe? 
'T is mockery to say I 'm sold ! 
But I forget these chains so cold, 
Which goad my bleeding limbs ; though high 
My reason mounts above the sky. 
• Dear wife, they cannot sell the rose 

Of love that in my bosom glows. 
Remember, as your tears may start, 
They cannot sell the immortal part. 
Thou Sun, which lightest bond and free, 



THE ASPIRATIONS OF MINGO. 85 

Tell me, I pray, is liberty 

The lot of those who noblest feel, 

And oftest to Jehovah kneel ? 

Then I may say, but not with pride, 

I feel the rushings of the tide 

Of reason and of eloquence,' 

Which strive and yearn for eminence. 

I feel high manhood on me now, 

A spirit-glory on my brow ; 

I feel a thrill of music roll. 

Like angel-harpings, through my soul ; 

While poesy, with rustling wings, 

Upon my spirit rests and sings. 

He sweeps my heart's deep throbbing lyre. 

Who touched Isaiah's lips with fire." 

May God forgive his oppressors. 



BURY ME IN A FREE LAND. 

BY FRANCES E. W. HARPER. 

MAKE me a grave where'er you will, 
In a lowly plain or a lofty hill ; 
Make it among earth's humblest graves, 
But not in a land where men are slaves. 

I ask no monument proud and high, 
To arrest the gaze of the passers by ; 
All that my yearning spirit craves 
Is, Bury me not in a Land of Slaves. 



86 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



PHILLIS WHEATLEY. 

BY L. MAEIA CHILD. 

PHILLIS WHEATLEY was born in Africa, and 
brought to Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 
1761, — a little more than a hundred years ago. At 
that time the people in Ma>sachusetts held slaves. The 
wife of Mr. John Wheatley of Boston had several slaves ; 
but they were getting too old to be very active, and she 
wanted to purchase a young girl, whom she could train 
up in such a manner as to make her a good domestic. 
She went to the slave-market for that purpose, and there 
she saw a little girl with no other clothing than a piece 
of dirty, ragged carpeting tied round her. She looked 
as if her health was feeble, — probably owing to her suf- 
ferings in the slave-ship, and to the fact of her having 
no one to care for her after she landed. Mrs. Wheatley 
was a kind, religious woman ; and though she considered 
the sickly look of the child an objection, there was some- 
thing so gentle and modest in the expression of her dark 
countenance, that her heart was drawn toward her, and 
she bought her in preference to several others who looked 
more robust. She took her home in her chaise, put her 
in a bath, and dressed her in clean clothes. They could 
not at first understand her; for she spoke an African dia- 
lect, sprinkled with a few words of broken English ; and 
when she could not make herself understood, she resorted 
to a variety of gestures and signs. She did not know her 
own age, but, from her shedding her front teeth at that 



PHILLIS WHEATLEY. 87 

time, she was supposed to be about seven years old. She 
could not tell how long it was since the shxve-traders tore 
her from her parents, nor where she had been since that 
time. The poor little orphan had probably gone through 
so much suffering and terror, and been so unable to make 
herself understood by anybody, that her mind had become 
bewildered concerning the past. She soon learned to 
speak English ; but she could remember nothing about 
Africa, except that she used to see her mother pour out 
water before the rising sun. Almost all the ancient 
nations of the world supposed that a Great Spirit bad 
his dwelling in the sun, and they worshipi)ed that Spirit 
in various forms. One of the most common modes of 
worship was to pour out water, or wine, at the rising 
of the sun, and to utter a brief prayer to the Spirit of 
that glorious luminary. Probably this ancient custom 
had been handed down, age after age, in Africa, and in 
that fashion the untaught mother of little Phillis con- 
tinued to worship the god of her ancestors. The sight 
of the great splendid orb, coming she knew not whence, 
rising apparently out of the hills to make the whole world 
glorious with light, and the devout reverence with which 
her mother hailed its return every morning, might natu- 
rally impress the child's imagination so deeply, that she 
remembered it after she had forgotten everything else 
about her native land. 

A wonderful change took place in the little forlorn 
stranger in the cour.se of a year and a half She not 
only learned to speak English correctly, but she was able 
to read fluently in any part of the Bible. She evidently 
possessed uncommon intelligence and a great desire for 
knowledge. She was often found trying to make letters 
with charcoal on the walls and fences. Mrs. Wheatley's 



88 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

daughter, perceiving her eagerness to learn, undertook 
to teach her to read and write. She found this an easy 
task, for her pupil learned with astonishing quickness. 
At the same time she showed such an amiable, affection- 
ate disposition, that all members of the family became 
much attached to her. Her gratitude to her kind, moth- 
erly mistress was unbounded, and her greatest delight 
was to do anything to please her. 

When she was about fourteen years old, she began to 
write poetry ; and it was pretty good poetry, too. Owing 
to these uncommon manifestations of intelligence, and 
to the delicacy of her health, she was never put to hard 
household work, as was intended at the time of her pur- 
chase. She was kept constantly with Mrs. Wheatley 
and her daughter, employed in light and easy services 
for them. Her poetry attracted attention, and Mrs. 
"VVheatley's friends lent her books, which she read with 
great eagerness. She soon acquired a good knowledge 
of geography, history, and English poetry ; of the last 
she was particularly fond. After a while, they found 
she was trying to learn Latin, which she so far mastered 
as to be able to read it understandingly. There was no 
law in Massachusetts against slaves learning to read and 
write, as there have been in many of the States ; and her 
mistress, so far from trying to hinder her, did everything 
to encourage her love of learning. She alwaj^s called 
her affectionately, " My Phillis," and seemed to be as 
proud of her attainments as if she had been her own 
daughter. She even allowed her to have a fire and light 
in her own chamber in the evening, that she might study 
and write down her thoughts whenever they came to her. 

Phillis was of a very religious turn of mind, and when 
she was about sixteen she joined the Orthodox Church, 



PHILLIS WHEATLEY. 89 

that worshipped in the Old-South Meeting-house in Bos- 
ton. Her character and deportment were such that she 
was considered an ornament to the church. Clergymen 
and other literary persons who visited at Mrs. Wheat- 
ley's took a good deal of notice of her. Her poems were 
brought forward to be read to the company, and were of- 
ten much praised. She was not unfrequently invited to 
the houses of wealthy and distinguished people, who liked 
to show her off as a kind of wonder. Most young girls 
would have had their heads completely turned by so 
much flattery and attention ; but seriousness and humil- 
ity seemed to be natural to Phillis. She always retained 
the same gentle, modest deportment that had won Mrs. 
Wlieatley's heart when she first saw her in the slave- 
market. Sometimes, when she went abroad, she was in- 
vited to sit at table with other guests ; but she always 
modestly declined, and requested that a plate might be 
placed for her on a side-table. Being well aware of the 
common prejudice against her complexion, she feared 
that some one might be offended by her company at 
their meals. By pursuing this course she manifested 
a natural politeness, which proved her to be more truly 
refined than any person could be who objected to sit 
beside her on account of her color. 

Although she was tenderly cared for, and not required 
to do any fatiguing work, her constitution never recov- 
ered from the shock it had received in early childhood. 
When she was about nineteen years old, her health failed 
so rapidly that physicians said it was necessary for her 
to take a sea-voyage. A son of Mr. Wheatley's was go- 
ing to England on commercial business, and his mother 
proposed that Phillis should go with him. 

In England she received even more attention than had 



90 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

been bestowed upon her at home. Several of the no- 
bility invited her to their houses ; and her poems were 
published in a volume, with an engraved likeness of the 
author. In this picture she looks gentle and thoughtful, 
and the shape of her head denotes intellect. One of the 
engravings was sent to Mrs. Wheatley, who was delighted 
with it. When one of her relatives called, she pointed it 
out to her, and said, " Look at my Phillis ! Does she 
not seem as if she would speak to me ? " 

Still the young poetess was not spoiled by flattery. 
One of the relatives of Mrs. Wheatley informs us, that 
" not all the attention she received, nor all the honors 
that were heaped upon her, had the slightest influence 
upon her temper and deportment. She was still the 
same single-hearted, unsophisticated being." 

She addressed a poem to the Earl of Dartmouth, who 
was very kind to her during her visit to England. Hav- 
ing expressed a hope for the overthrow of tyranny, she 
says : — 

" Should you, my Lord, while you peruse ray song, 
Wonder from whence my love of Freedom sprung, — 
Whence flow these wishes for the common good, 
By feeling hearts alone best understood, — 
I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate, 
Was snatched from Afric's fancied happy state. 
What pangs excruciating must molest. 
What sorrows labor in my parent's breast! 
Steeled was that soul, and by no misery moved, 
That from a father seized his babe beloved. 
Such was my case ; and can I then but pray 
Others may never feel tyrannic sway. " 

The English friends of Phillis wished to present her 
to their king, George the Third, who was soon expected 
in London. But letters from America informed her that 
her beloved benefactress, Mrs. Wheatley, was in declin- 



PHILLIS WHEATLEY. 91 

ing health, and greatly desh^ed to see her. No honors 
could divert her mind from the friend of her childhood. 
She returned to Boston immediately. The good lady 
died soon after ; Mr. Wheatley soon followed ; and the 
daughter, the kind instructress of her youth, did not long 
survive. The son married and settled in England. For 
a short time Phillis stayed with a friend of her deceased 
benefactress ; then she hired a room and lived by herself. 
It was a sad change for her. 

The war of the American Revolution broke out. In 
the autumn of 1776 General Washington had his head- 
quarters at Cambridge, Massachusetts ; and the spirit 
moved Phillis to address some complimentary verses 
to him. In reply, he sent her the following courteous 
note : — 

" I thank you most sincerely for your polite notice of 
me in the elegant lines you enclosed. However unde- 
serving I may be of such encomium, the style and man- 
ner exhibit a striking proof of your poetical talents. In 
honor of which, and as a tribute justly due to you, I 
would have published the poem, had I not been appre- 
hensive that, while I only meant to give the world this 
new instance of your genius, I might have incurred the 
imputation of vanity. This, and nothing else, determined 
me not to^give it a place in the public prints. 

" If you should ever come to Cambridge, or near head- 
quarters, I shall be happy to see a person so favored by 
the Muses,* and to whom Nature had been so liberal 
and beneficent in her dispensations. 
"I am, with great respect, 

" Your obedient, humble servant, 

" George Washington." 

* The ancient Greeks supposed that nme goddesses, whom they 
named Muses, inspired people to write various kinds of poetry. 



92 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

The early friends of Phillis were dead, or scattered 
abroad, and she felt alone in the world. She formed an 
acquaintance with a colored man by the name of Peters, 
who kept a grocery shop. He was more than commonly 
intelligent, spoke fluently, wrote easily, dressed well, and 
was handsome in his person. He offered marriage, and 
in an evil hour she accepted him. He proved to be 
lazy, proud, and harsh-tempered. He neglected his busi- 
ness, failed, and became very poor. Though unwilling 
to do hard work himself, he wanted to make a drudge 
of his wife. Her constitution was frail, she had been 
unaccustomed to hardship, and she was the mother of 
three little children, with no one to help her in her house- 
hold labors and cares. He had no pity on her, and in- 
stead of trying to lighten her load, he made it heavier 
by his bad temper. The little ones sickened and died, 
and their gentle mother was completely broken down 
by toil and sorrow. Some of the descendants of her 
lamented mistress at last heard of her illness and went 
to see her. They found her in a forlorn situation, suffer- 
ing for the common comforts of life. The Revolutionary 
war was still raging. Everybody was mourning for sons 
and husbands slain in battle. The country was very poor. 
The currency was so deranged that a goose cost forty dol- 
lars, and other articles in proportion. In such a state of 
things, people were too anxious and troubled to think 
about the African poetess, whom they had once deb'ghted 
to honor ; or if they transiently remembered her, they 
took it for granted that her husband provided for her. 
And so it happened that the gifted woman who had been 
patronized by wealthy Bostonians, and who had rolled 
through London in the splendid carriages of the English 
nobility, lay dying alone, in a cold, dirty, comfortless 



A PERTINENT QUESTION. 93 

room. It was a mournful reverse of fortune ; but she 
was patient and resigned. She made no complaint of 
her unfeeling husband ; but the neighbors said that when 
a load of wood was sent to her, he felt himself too much 
of a gentleman to saw it, though his wife was shivering 
with cold. The descendants of Mrs. Wheatley did what 
they could to relieve her wants, after they discovered her 
extremely destitute condition ; but, fortunately for her, 
she soon went " where the wicked cease from troubling, 
and where the weary are at rest." 

Her husband was so generally disliked, that people 
never called her Mrs. Peters. She was always called 
Phillis Wheatley, the name bestowed upon her when she 
first entered the service of her benefactress, and by which 
she had become known as a poetess. 



A PERTINENT QUESTION. 

BY FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 

IS it not astonishing, that while we are ploughing, plant- 
ing, and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erect- 
ing houses and constructing bridges, building ships, working 
in metals of brass, iron, and copper, silver and gold ; that 
while we are reading, writing, and ciphering, acting as clerks, 
merchants, and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, 
ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators, and teachers ; that 
while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to 
other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in 
the Pacific, breeding sheep and cattle on the hillside ; living, 
moving, acting, thinking, planning ; living in families as hus- 
bands, wives, and children ; and, above all, confessing and 
woi^hipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for 
immortal life beyond the grave ; — is it not astonishing, I say, 
that we are called upon to prove that we are men 1 " 



94 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



THE WORKS OF PROVIDENCE. 

BY PHILLI8 WHEAT LEY. 

[Written at sixteen years of age.] 

ARISE, my soul ! on wings enraptured rise, 
To praise the Monarch of the earth and skies, 
Whose goodness and beneficence appear, 
As round its centre moves the rolling year ; 
Or when the morning glows with rosy charms, 
Or the sun slumbers in the ocean's arms. 
Of light divine be a rich portion lent, 
To guide my soul and favor my intent. 
•Celestial Muse, my arduous flight sustain, 
And raise my mind to a seraphic strain ! 

Adored forever be the God unseen, 
Who round the sun revolves this vast machine ; 
Though to his eye its mass a point appears : 
Adore-d the God that whirls surrounding spheres, 
Who first ordained that mighty Sol* should reign, 
The peerless monarch of th' ethereal train. 
Of miles twice forty millions is his height. 
And yet his radiance dazzles mortal sight, 
So far beneath, — from him th' extended earth 
Vigor derives, and every flowery birth. 
Vast through her orb she moves, with easy grace, 

=* Sol is the word for sun in Latin, the language spoken by the 
ancient Romans. 



THE WORKS OF PROVIDENCE. 95 

Around her Phoebus * in unbounded space ; 
True to her course, the impetuous storm derides, 
Triumphant o'er the winds and surging tides. 

Almighty ! in these wondrous works of thine, 
What power, what wisdom, and what goodness shine ! 
And are thy wonders, Lord, by men explored, 
And yet creating glory unadored ? 

Creation smiles in various beauty gay. 
While day to night, and night succeeds to day. 
That wisdom which attends Jehovah's ways, 
Shines most conspicuous in the solar rays. 
Without them, destitute of heat and light, 
This world would be the reign of endless night. 
In their excess, how would our race complain, 
Abhorring life ! how hate its lengthened chain ! 
From air, or dust, what numerous ills would rise ! 
What dire contagion taint the burninor skies ! 
What pestilential vapor, fraught with death, 
Would rise, and overspread the lands beneath ! 

Hail, smiling Morn, that, from the orient main 
Ascending, dost adorn the heavenly plain ! 
So rich, so various are thy beauteous dyes, 
That spread through all the circuit of the skies, 
That, full of thee, my soul in rapture soars. 
And thy great God, the cause of all, adores ! 
O'er beings infinite his love extends, 
His wisdom rules them, and his power defends. 
When tasks diurnal tire the human frame. 
The spirits faint, and dim the vital flame, 

* Phoebus was the name for the sun, in the language of the ancient 
Greeks. 



96 ■ THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Then, too, tliat ever-active bounty shines, 

Which not infinity of space confines. 

The sable veil, that Night in silence draws, 

Conceals eflTects, but shows th' Almighty Cause. 

Niglit seals in sleep the wide creation fair, 

And all is peaceful, but the brow of care. 

Again gay Phoebus, as the day before. 

Wakes every eye but what shall wake no more ; 

Again the face of Nature is renewed, 

Which still appears harmonious, fair, and good. 

May grateful strains salute the smiling morn. 

Before its beams the eastern hills adorn ! 



THE DYING CHRISTIAN. 

BY FRANCES E. W. HARPER. 

THE silver cord was loosened, 
We knew that she must die ; 
We read the mournful token 
In the dimness of her eye. 

Like a child oppressed with slumber. 

She calmly sank to rest, 
With her trust in her Redeemer, 

And her head upon his breast. 

She faded from our vision, 

Like a thing of love and light ; 

But we feel she lives forever, 
A spirit pure and bright. 



KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 97 



KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 

BY L. MARIA CHILD. 

THERE are not many people who are conscientious 
about being kind in their relations with human be- 
ings ; and therefore it is not surprising that still fewer 
should be considerate about humanity to animals. But 
the Father of all created beings made dumb creatures 
to enjoy existence in their way, as he made human beings 
to enjoy life in their way. We do wrong in his sight if 
we abuse them, or keep them without comfortable food 
and shelter. The fact that they cannot speak to tell 
of what they suffer makes the sad expression of their 
great patient eyes the more touching to any compassion- 
ate heart. Fugitive slaves, looking out mournfully and 
wearily upon a cold, unsympathizing world, have often 
reminded me of overworked and abused oxen ; for though 
slaves were endowed by their Creator with the gift of 
speech, their oppressors have made them afraid to use 
it to complain of their wrongs. In fact, they have been 
in a more trying situation than abused oxen, .for they 
have been induced by fear to use their gift of speech in 
professions of contentment with their bondage. There- 
fore, those who have been slaves know how to sympathize 
with the dumb creatures of God ; and they, more than 
others, ought to have compassion on them. The great 
and good Toussaint I'Ouverture was always kind to the 
animals under his care, and I consider it by no means the 
smallest of hLs merits. 

5 O 



98 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

It is selfish and cruel thouglitlessness to stand laughing 
and talking, or to be resting at ease, while horses or oxen 
are tied where they will be tormented by flies or mos- 
quitos. Last summer I read of a horse that was left 
fastened in a swamp, where he could not get away from 
the swarm of venomous insects, which stung him to death, 
while his careless, hard-hearted driver was going about 
forgetful of him. It would trouble my conscience ever 
afterward if I had the death of that poor helpless animal 
to answer for. 

There is a difference in the natural disposition of ani- 
mals, as there is in the dispositions of men and women ; 
but, generally speaking, if animals are bad-tempered and 
stubborn, it is owing to their having been badly treated 
when they were young. When a horse has his mouth 
hurt by jerking his bridle, it irritates him, as it irritates 
a man to be violently knocked about ; and in both cases 
such treatment produces an unwillingness to oblige the 
tormentor. Lashing a horse with a whip, to compel him 
to draw loads too heavy for his strength, makes him 
angry and discouraged ; and at last, in despair of getting 
any help for his wrongs, he stands stock still when he 
finds himself fastened to a heavy load, and no amount 
of kicking or beating will make him stir. He has ap- 
parently come to the conclusion that it is better to be 
killed at once than to die daily. Slaves, who are under 
cruel taskmasters, also sometimes sink down in utter dis- 
couragement, and do not seem to care for being whipped 
to death. The best way to cure the disheartened and 
obstinate laborer is to give him just wages and kind treat- 
ment ; and the best way to deal with the discouraged and 
stubborn horse is to give him light loads and humane 
usage. 



KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 99 

It is a very bad custom to whip a horse when he is 
frightened. It only frightens the poor creature all the 
more. Habits of running when frightened, or of sheer- 
ing at the sight of things to which they are not accus- 
tomed, is generally produced in horses by mismanagement 
when they are colts. By gentle and rational treatment 
better characters are formed, both in animals and human 
beings. There was a gentleman in the neighborhood of 
Boston who managed colts so wisely, that all who were 
acquainted with him wanted a horse of his training. He 
was very firm with the young animals ; he never allowed 
them to get the better of him ; but he was never in a pas- 
sion with them. He cured them of bad tricks by patient 
teaching and gentle words ; holding them tight all the 
while, till they did what he wanted them to do. When 
they became docile, he rubbed their heads, and patted 
their necks, and talked affectionately to them, and gave 
them a handful of oats. In that way, he obtained com- 
plete control over them. He never kicked them, or jerked 
their mouths with the bridle ; he never whipped them, or 
allowed a whip to' be used; and the result was that they 
learned to love him, and were always ready to do as he 
bade them. 

I have read of a horse that was so terrified by the 
sound of a drum, that if he heard it, even from a dis- 
tance, he would run furiously and smash to pieces any 
carriage to which he was harnessed. In consequence 
of this, he was sold very cheap, though he was a strong, 
handsome animal. The man who sold him said he had 
whipped and whipped him, to cure him of the trick, but 
it did no good. People laughed at the man who bought 
him, and said he had thrown money away upon a useless 
and dangerous creature ; but he replied, " I have some 
experience in horses, and I think I can cure him." 



100 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

He resolved to use no violence, but to deal rationally 
and humanely with the animal, as he would like to be 
dealt with if he were a horse. 

He kept him without food till he had become very 
hungry, and then he placed a pan of oats before him on 
the top of a drum. As soon as he began to eat, the man 
beat upon the drum. The horse reared and plunged and 
ran furiously round the enclosure. He was led back to 
the stable without any provender. After a while, oats 
were again placed before him on the top of a drum. As 
soon as the drum was beaten, the horse reared and ran 
away. I suppose he remembered the terrible whippings 
he had had whenever he heard a drum, and so he thought 
the thing that made the noise was an enemy to him. The 
third time the experiment was tried, he had become ex- 
cessively hungry. He pricked up his ears and snorted 
when he heard the sound of the drum ; but he stood still 
and looked at the oats wistfully, while the man played 
a loud, lively tune. Finding the noise did him no harm, 
he at last ventured to taste of the oats, and his owner con- 
tinued to play all the while he was eating. When the 
breakfast was finished, he patted him on the neck and 
talked gently to him. For several days his food was 
given to him in the same way. He was never afraid 
of the sound of a drum afterward. On the contrary, he 
learned to like it, because it made him think of sweet 
oats. 

The fact is, reasonable and kind treatment will gener- 
ally produce a great and beneficial change in vicious ani- 
mals as well as in vicious men. 



JAMES FORTEN. 101 



JAMES FORTEN. 

BY L. MARIA CHILD. 

JAMES FORTEN was born in 1766, nearly a hun- 
dred years ago. His ancestors had lived in Pennsyl- 
vania for several generations, and, so far as he could trace 
them, they had never been slaves. In his boyhood the 
war of the American Revolution began. The States of 
this Union were then colonies of Great Britain. Being 
taxed without being represented in the British Parlia- 
ment, they remonstrated against it as an act of injustice. 
The king, George the Third, was a dull, obstinate man, 
disposed to be despotic. The loyal, respectful petitions 
of the Colonies were treated with indifference or con- 
tempt ; and at last they resolved to become independent 
of England. When James Forten was about fourteen 
years old he entered into the service of the Colonial 
navy, in the ship Royal Louis, commanded by Captain 
Decatur, father of the celebrated commodore. It was 
captured by the British ship Amphion, commanded by 
Sir Joim Beezly. Sir John's son was on board, as 
midshipman. He was about the same age as James 
Forten ; and when they played games together on the 
deck, the agility and skill of the brown lad attracted his 
attention. They became much attached to each other; 
and the young Englishman offered to provide for the 
education of his colored companion, and to help him on 
in the world, if he would go to London with him. But 
James preferred to remain in the service of his native 
country. The lads shed tears at parting, and Sir John's 
son obtained a promise from his father that his friend 



102 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

sliould not be enlisted in the British army. This was 
a great rehef to the mind of James ; for his sympathies 
were on the side of the American Colonies, and he knew 
that colored men in his circumstances were often carried 
to the West Indies and sold into Slavery. He was trans- 
ferred to the prison-ship Old Jersey, then lying near New 
York. He remained there, through a raging pestilence 
on board, until prisoners were exchanged. 

After the war was over, he obtained employment in 
a sail-loft in Philadelphia, where he soon established a 
good character by his intelligence, honesty, and industry. 
He invented an improvement in the management of sails, 
for which he obtained a patent. As it came into general 
use, it brought him a good deal of money. In process of 
time, he became owner of the sail-loft, and also of a good 
house in the city. He married a worthy woman, and 
they brought up a family of eight children. But thought 
he had served his country faithfully in his youth, though 
he had earned a hundred thousand dollars by his ingenu- 
ity and diligence, and though his character rendered him 
an ornament to the Episcopal Church, to which he be- 
longed, yet so strong was the mean and cruel prejudice 
against his color, that his family were excluded from 
schools where the most ignorant and vicious whites could 
place their children. He overcame this obstacle, at great 
expense, by hiring private teachers in various branches 
of education. 

By the unrivalled neatness and durability of his work, 
and by the uprightness of his character, he obtained ex- 
tensive business, and for more than fifty years employed 
many people in his sail-loft. Being near the water, he 
had opportunities, at twelve different times, to save people 
from drowning, which he sometimes did at the risk of 
his own life. The Humane Society of Philadelphia pre- 



JAMES FORTEN. 103 

sented liim with an engraving, to wliicli was appended a 
certificate of the number of people he had saved, and the 
thanks of the Society for his services. He had it framed 
and hung in his parlor; and when I visited him, in 1835, 
he pointed it out to me, and told me he would not take 
a thousand dollars for it. He likewise told me of a 
vessel engaged in the slave-trade, the owners of which 
applied to him for rigging. He indignantly refused ; de- 
claring that he considered such a request an insult to any 
honest or humane man. He always had the cause of 
the oppressed colored people warmly at heart, and was 
desirous to do everything in his power for their improve- 
ment and elevation. He early saw that colonizing free 
blacks to Africa would never abolish Slavery ; but that, 
on the contrary, it tended to prolong its detestable ex- 
istence. He presided at the first meeting of colored 
people in Philadelphia, to remonstrate against the Coloni- 
zation Society. He was an earnest and liberal friend of 
the Anti-Slavery Society ; and almost the last words 
he was heard to utter were expressions of love and 
gratitude to William Lloyd Garrison for his exertions 
in behalf of his oppressed race. He never drank any 
intoxicating liquor, and was a steadfast supporter of the 
Temperance Society. Being of a kindly and humane 
disposition, he espoused the principles of the Peace So- 
ciety. His influence and pure example were also given 
to those who were, striving against licentiousness. In- 
deed, he was always ready to assist in every good word 
and work. 

He died in 1842, at the age of seventy-six years. His 
funeral procession was one of the largest ever seen in 
Philadelphia ; thousands of people, of all classes and all 
complexions, having united in this tribute of respect to 
his character. 



104 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 



THE MEETING IN THE SWAMP. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



IN 1812 there was war between the United States and 
Great Britain ; and many people thought it likely 
that a portion of the British army would land in some 
part of the Southern States and proclaim freedom to tlie 
slaves. The more intelligent portion of the slaves were 
aware of this, and narrowly watched the signs of the 
times. 

Mr. Duncan, of South Carolina, was an easy sort of 
master, generally thought by his neighbors to be too in- 
dulgent to his slaves. One evening, during the year I 
have mentioned, he received many requests for passes to 
go to a great Methodist meeting, and in every instance com- 
plied with the request. After a while, he rang the bell 
for a glass of water, but no servant appeared. He rang 
a second time, but waited in vain for the sound of com- 
ing footsteps. Thinking over the passes he had given, 
he remembered that all the house-servants had gone to 
Methodist meeting. Then it occurred to him that Meth- 
odist meetings had lately been more frequent than usual. 
He was in the habit of saying that bis slaves were per- 
fectly contented, and would not take their freedom if he 
offered it to them ; nevertheless the frequency of Meth- 
odist meetings made him a little uneasy, and brought to 
mind a report he had heard, that the British were some- 
where off the coast and about to land. 

The next morning, he took a ride on horseback, and 



THE MEETING IN THE SWAMP. 105 

in a careless way asked the slaves on several plantations 
where was the Methodist meeting; last niirht. Some said 
it was in one place, and some in another, — a circum- 
stance which made him think still more about the report 
that the British were going to land. He bought a black 
mask for his face, and a suit of negro clothes, and waited 
for another Methodist meeting. In a few days his ser- 
vants again asked for passes, and he gave them. When 
the last one had gone, he put on his disguise and followed 
them over field and meadow, through woods and swamps. 
The number of dark figures steering toward the same 
point continually increased. If any spoke to him as 
they passed, he made a very short answer, in the words 
and tones common among slaves. At last they arrived 
at an island in the swamp, surrounded by a belt of deep 
water, and hidden by forest-trees matted together by a 
luxuriant entanglement of vines. A large tree had been 
felled for a bridge, and over this dusky forms were 
swarming as thickly as ants into a new-made nest. Af- 
ter passing through a rough and difficult path, they came 
out into a large level space, surrounded by majestic trees, 
whose boughs interlaced, and formed a roof high over- 
head, from which hung down long streamers of Spanish 
moss. Under this canopy were assembled hundreds of 
black men and women. Some were sitting silent and 
thoughtful, some eagerly talking together, and some sing- 
ing and shouting. The blaze of pine torches threw a 
strong light on some, and made others look like gi'eat 
black shadows. 

Mr. Duncan felt a little disturbed by the strange, im- 
pressive scene, and was more than half disposed to wish 
himself at home. For some time he could make nothing 
out of the confused buzz of voices and chanting of hymns. 

5* 



106 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

But after a wliile a tall man mounted a stump and re-i 
quested silence. " I suppose most all of ye know," said 
he, " that at our last meeting we concluded to go to the 
British, if we could get a chance ; but we did n't all agree 
what to do about our masters. Some said we could n't 
keep our freedom without we killed the whites, but others 
did n't like the thoughts of that. We 've met again to- 
night to talk about it. An' now, boys, if the British land 
here in Caroliny, what shall we do about our masters ? " 

As he sat down, a tall, fierce-looking mulatto sprang 
upon the stump, at one leap, and exclaimed : " Scourge 
them, as they have scourged us. Shoot them, as they 
have shot us. Who talks of mercy to our masters?" 

" I do," said an aged black man, who rose up tottering, 
as he leaned both hands on a wooden staff, — " I do ; be- 
cause the blessed Jesus always talked of mercy. They 
shot my bright boy Joe, an' sold my pretty little Sally ; 
but, thanks to the blessed Jesus ! I feel it in my poor old 
heart to forgive 'em. I 've been member of a Methodist 
church these thirty years, an' I 've heard many preachers, 
white and black ; an' they all tell me Jesus said. Do good 
to them that do evil to you, an' pray for them that spite 
you. Now I say. Let us love our enemies ; let us pray for 
'em ; an' when our masters flog us, let us sing, — 

* You may beat upon my body, 
But you canuot harm my soul. 
I shall join the forty thousand by and by.' " 

When the tremulous chant ceased, a loud altercation 
arose. Some cried out for the blood of the whites, while 
others maintained that the old man's doctrine was right. 
Louder and louder grew the sound of their excited voices, 
and the disguised slaveholder hid himself away deeper 
among the shadows. In the midst of the confusion, a 



THE MEETING IN THE SWAMP. 107 

young man of graceful figure sprang on the stump, and, 
throwing off a coarse cotton frock, showed his back and 
shoulders deeply gashed by a whip and oozing with blood. 
He made no speech, but turned round and round slowly, 
while his comrades held up their torches to show his 
wounds. He stopped suddenly, and said, with stern 
brevity, " Blood for blood." 

" Would you murder 'em all ? " inquired a timid voice. 
" Dey don't all cruelize us." 

" Dar 's Massa Campbell," pleaded another. " He 
neber hab his boys flogged. You would n't murder him, 
would you ? " 

" No, no," shouted several voices ; " we would n't mur- 
der him" 

" I would n't murder my master," said one of Mr. Dun- 
can's slaves. " I don't want to work for him for nothin* ; 
I 'se done got tired o' that ; but he sha'n't be killed, if I 
can help it ; for he 's a good master." 

" Call him a good master if ye like," said the youth 
with the bleeding shoulders. " If the white men don't 
cut up the backs that bear their burdens, if they don't 
shoot the limbs that make 'em rich, some are fools enough 
to call 'em good masters. What right have they to sleep 
in soft beds, while we, who do all the work, lie on the 
hard floor ? Why should I go in coarse rags, to clothe 
my master in broadcloth and fine linen, when he knows, 
and I know, that we are sons of the same father ? Ye 
may get on your knees to be flogged, if ye like ; but I 'm 
not the boy to do it." His high, bold forehead and flash- 
ing eye indicated an intellect too active, and a spirit too 
fiery, for Slavery. The listeners were spell-bound by his 
superior bearing, and for a while he seemed likely to carry 
the whole meeting in favor of revenge. But the aged 



108 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

black, leaning on his wooden staff, made use of every 
pause to re23eat the words, " Jesus told us to return good 
for evil " ; and his gentle counsel found response in many 
hearts. 

A short man, with roguish eyes and a laughing mouth, 
rose up and looked round him with an expression of 
drollery that made everybody begin to feel good-natured. 
After rubbing his head a little, he said : " I don't know 
how to talk like Bob, 'cause I neber had no chance. But 
I 'se thought a heap. Many a time I 'se axed myself how 
de white man always git he foot on de black man. Some- 
times I tink one ting, and sometimes I tink anoder ting ; 
and dey all git jumbled up in my head, jest like seed in 
de cotton. At last I finds out how de white man always 
git he foot on de black man." He took from his old torn 
hat a bit of crumpled newspaper, and smoothing it out, 
pointed at it, while he exclaimed : " Dat^s de way dey do 
it ! Dey got de hnowledge ; and dey don't let poor nigger 
hab de knowledge. May be de British Ian', and may 
be de British no Ian'. But I tell ye, boys, de white man 
can't keep he foot on de black man, ef de black man git 
de knowledge. I 'se gwine to tell ye how I got de knowl- 
edge. I sot my mind on laming to read; but my ole 
boss he 's de most begrudgfullest massa, an' I knows he 
would n't let me larn. So when I sees leetle massa wid 
he book, I ax him, ' What you call dat ? ' He tell me 
dat 's A. So I take ole newspaper, an' ax missis, ' May 
I hab dis to rub de boots ? ' She say yes. Den, when 
I find A, I looks at him till I knows him bery well. Den 
I ax leetle massa, ' What you call dat ? ' He say dat 's 
B. I looks at him till I knows him bery well. Den I 
find CAT, an' I ax leetle massa what dat spell ; an' he 
tell me cat. Den, after a great long time, I read de news- 



THE MEETING IN THE SWAMP. 109 

paper. An' dar I find out dat de British gwine to Ian'. 
I tells all de boys ; and dey say mus' hab Methodist 
meetin'. An' what you tink dis nigger did todder day ? 
You know Jim, Massa Guberuor's boy ? Wal, I wants 
mighty bad to tell Jim dat de British gwine to Ian' ; but 
he lib ten mile off, and ole boss nebber let me go. Wal, 
Massa Gubernor come to massa's, an' I bring* he hoss to 
de gate. I makes bow, and says, ' How Jim do, Massa 
Gubernor ? ' He tells me Jim bery well. Den I tells 
him Jim and I was leetle boy togeder, an' I wants to sen' 
Jim someting. He tells me Jim hab 'nuff ob eberyting. 
I says, ' O yes, Massa Gubernor, I knows you good massa, 
and Jim hab eberyting he want. But Jim an' I was lee- 
tle boy togeder, and I wants to sen' Jim some backy.* 
Massa Gubernor laugh an' say, ' Bery well, Jack.' So 
I gibs bim de backy in de bery bit ob newspaper dat tell 
de British gwine to Ian'. I marks it wid brack coal, so 
Jim be sure to see it. An' Massa Gubernor hisself carry 
it ! Massa Gubernor hisself carry it ! I has to laugh 
ebery time I tinks on 't." 

He clapped his hands, shuffled with his feet, and ended 
by rolling heels over head, with peals of laughter. The 
multitude joined loudly in his merriment, and it took 
some time to restore order. There was a good deal of 
speaking afterward, and some of it was violent. A large 
majority were in favor of being merciful to the masters ; 
but all, without exception, agreed to join the British if 
they landed. 

With thankfulness to Heaven, Mr. Duncan again found 
himself in the open field, alone with the stars. Their 
glorious beauty seemed to him clothed in new and awful 
power. Groups of shrubbery took startling forms, and 
the sound of the wind among the trees was like the un- 
sheathing- of swords. He never forgot the lesson of that 



110 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

night. In his heart he could not blame his bondmen for 
seeking their liberty, and he felt grateful for the merciful 
disposition they had manifested toward their oppressors ; 
for alone that night, in the solemn presence of the stars, 
his conscience told him that Slavery was oppression, how- 
ever mild the humanity of the master might make it. He 
did not emancipate his slaves ; for he had not sufficient 
courage to come out against the community in which he 
lived. He felt it a duty to warn his neighbors of impend- 
ing danger ; but he could not bring himself to reveal the 
secret of the meeting in the swamp, which he knew would 
cause the death of many helpless creatures, whose only 
crime was that of wishing to be free. After a painful 
conflict in his mind, he contented himself with advising 
the magistrates not to allow any meetings of the colored 
people for religious purposes until the war was oyer. 

I have called him Mr. Duncan, but I have in fact for- 
gotten his name. Years after he witnessed the meeting 
in the swamp, he gave an account of it to a gentleman 
in Boston, and I have stated the substance of it as it was 
told to me. 



A REASONABLE REQUEST. 

We are natives of this country ; we ask only to be 
treated as well as foreigners. Not a few of our fathers 
suffered and bled to purchase its independence ; we ask 
only to be treated as well as those who fought against it. 
We have toiled to cultivate it, and to raise it to its pres- 
ent prosperous condition ; we ask only to share equal 
privileges with those who come from distant lands to en- 
joy the fruits of our labor. — Rev. Peter Williams, 
colored Rector of St. Philip's Churchy New York, 1835. 



THE SLAVE POET. Ill 



THE SLAVE POET. 

MR. JAMES HORTON, of Chatham County, 
North Carolina, had a slave named George, 
who early manifested remarkable intelligence. He la- 
bored with a few other slaves on his master's farm, and 
was always honest, faithful, and industrious. He con- 
trived to learn to read, and every moment that was al- 
lowed him for his own he devoted to reading. He was 
especially fond of poetry, which he read and learned by 
heart, wherever he could find it. After a time, he began 
to compose verses of his own. He did not know how to 
write ; so when he had arranged his thoughts in rhyme, 
he spoke them aloud to others, who wrote them down for 
him. 

He was not contented in Slavery, as you will see by 
the foUowins: verses which he wrote : — 



'O 



" Alas ! and am I born for this, 
To wear this slavish chain ? 
Deprived of all created bliss, 
Through hardship, toil, and pain ? 

" How long have I in bondage lain, 
And languished to be free ! 
Alas ! and must I still complain. 
Deprived of liberty ? 

*' Heaven ! and is there no relief 
This side the silent grave, 
To soothe the pain, to quell the grief 
And anguish of a slave ? 



112 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

" Come, Liberty ! thou cheerftil sound, 
Roll through my ravished ears; 
Come, let my grief in joys bo drowned, 
And drive away my fears. 

" Say unto foul oppression, Cease ! 
Ye tyrants, rage no more; 
And let the joyful trump of peace 
Now bid the vassal soar. 

" Liberty! thou golden prize, 
So often sought by blood. 
We crave thy sacred sun to rise, 
The gift of Nature's God. 

" Bid Slavery hide her haggard face, 
And barbarism fly ; 
I scoi'n to see the sad disgrace. 
In which enslaved I lie. 

" Dear Liberty ! upon thy breast 
I languish to respire; 
And, like the swan unto her nest, 
I'd to thy smiles retire." 

George's poems attracted attention, and several were 
published in the newspaper called " The Raleigh Regis- 
ter." Some of them found their way into the Boston 
newspapers, and were thought remarkable productions 
for a slave. His master took no interest in any of his 
poems, and knew nothing about them, except what he 
heard others say. Dr. Caldwell, who was then Presi- 
dent of the University of North Carolina, and several 
other gentlemen, became interested for him, and tried to 
help him to obtain his freedom. In 1829 a little volume 
of his poems, called " The Hope of Liberty," was printed 
in Raleigh, by Gales and Son. The pamphlet was sold 
to raise money enough for George to buy himself. He 
was then tliirty-two years old, in the prime of his strength, 



THE SLAVE POET. 113 

both in mind and body. He was to be sent off to Liberia 
as soon as he was purchased ; but he had such a passion 
for Liberty, that he was willing to follow her to the ends 
of the earth ; though he would doubtless have preferred 
to have been a freeman at home, among old friends and 
familiar scenes. He was greatly excited about his pros- 
pects, and eagerly set about learning to write. When he 
first heard the news that influential gentlemen were ex- 
erting themselves in his behalf, he wrote : — 

" 'T was like the salutation of the dove, 
Borne on the zephyr through some lonesome grove, 
When spring returns, and winter's chill is past, 
And vegetation smiles above the blast. 

" The silent harp, which on the osiers hung. 
Again was tuned, and manumission sung; 
Away by hope the clouds of fear were driven, 
And music breathed my gi-atitude to Heaven." 

It would have been better for him if his hopes had 
not been so highly excited. His poems did not sell for 
enough to raise the sum his master demanded for him, 
and his friends were not sufficiently benevolent to make 
up the deficiency. In 1837, when he was forty years old, 
he was still working as a slave at Chapel Hill, the seat 
of the University of North Carolina. It was said at that 
time that he had ceased to write poetry. I suppose the 
poor fellow was discouraged. If he is still alive, he is 
sixty-seven years old; and I hope it will comfort his poor, 
bruised heart to know that some of his verses are pre- 
served, and published for the benefit of those who have 
been his companions in Slavery, and who, more fortunate 
than he was, have become freemen before their strength 
has left them. 



114: THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 



R ATI E : 

A TRUE STORY OF A LITTLE HUNCHBACK. 
BY MATTIE GRIFFITH. 

I WANT to tell you a story of a poor little slave-girl 
who lived and died away down South. 

This little giiTs name was Rachel, but they used to 
call her Ratie. She was a hunchback and a dwarf, with 
an ugly black face, coarse and irregular features, but a 
low, pleasant voice, and nice manners. Nobody ever 
scolded Ratie, for she never deserved it. She always 
did her work — the little that was assigned her — with 
a cheerful heart and willing hand. This work was 
chiefly to gather up little bits of chips in baskets, or col- 
lect shavings from the carpenters' shops, and take them 
to the cabins or the great kitchen, where they were used 
for kindling fires. She had a sweet, gentle spirit, and a 
low, cheery laugh that charmed everybody. Even the 
white folks who lived up at the great house loved her, 
and somehow felt better when she was near. 

Ratie used to go out into the fields on summer days, 
or in the early spring, and pick the first flowers. Later 
in the season she caught the butterflies or grasshoppers, 
but she never hurt them. She would look at the bright 
spangled wings of the butterflies, or the green coats of 
the pretty, chirping grasshoppers, with an eye full of ad- 
miration ; and she always seemed sorry when she gave 
them up. The lambs used to run to her, and eat from 



RATIE. 115 

her hands. If she went into the park, the deer came 
to her side lovingly, and the young fawns sported and 
played around her. No one harmed Ratie or expected 
harm from her. 

Poor little hunchback ! Many an idle traveller has 
paused in his slow wanderings to listen to her song, as 
she sat on the wayside stump, knitting stockings for the 
work-people, and singing old snatches of songs, and airs 
that bring back to the heart glimpses of the paradise of 
our lost childhood ! No broad-throated robin ever poured 
out a wilder, fuller gush of melody than the songs of this 
untaught child ! 

Little Ratie's days were passed in the same even rou- 
tine, without tliought or chance of change. Up at the 
house they loved her ; and her young mistresses used to 
supply her with cast-off ribbons and shawls and fancy 
trappings from their own wardrobes, which she prized 
very much, — delighting to deck out her odd little person 
with these old fineries. 

Once, as she sat singing on an old stile, and knitting 
a stocking, a rough sort of gentleman, driving by in his 
neat little tilbury, stopped and listened to Ratie's song. 
When he looked at the strange child he felt a little 
shocked ; but he called out in a loud voice, " Halloo, 
Dumpey Blackie! here is a fip for your song"; and he 
tossed her a small coin. " Take that, and give me 
another song." 

The child was pleased with the gift, took it up from 
where it had rolled on the ground at her feet, and soon 
began another of her wild little ditties. As she sang on, 
she forgot the exact words, and put in some of her own, 
which harmonized just as well with the air. The stran- 
ger was so much pleased, that he gave her another fip. 



116 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

and called for another song, and still another. At length, 
he asked the child to whom she belonged. She told him 
that she belonged to her old master. 

" And what is your old master's name ? " asked the 
gentleman. 

Ratie, who had never been two miles beyond the bor- 
ders of the plantation, laughed, thinking it a fine joke that 
anybody should not know the name of her " old master"; 
for, to her, he was the most important personage in the 
world. So she only laughed and shook her head deri- 
sively in answer. 

" AVill you not tell me his name ? " again asked the 
stranger. 

But the child smiled still more incredulously ; so the 
gentleman deemed it best to follow her home, which he 
accordingly did, and found that Colonel Williams, a rich 
old planter, was the owner of this little melodious black- 
bird. 

The stranirer alidited and asked to see Colonel Wil- 
liams. After a little conversation he proposed to buy 
Ratie from her master. Colonel Williams had never 
thought of selling the little deformity. He kept her on 
the place more through charity than aught else. The 
extent of her musical genius was unappreciated, and even 
unknown to him ; but as she was a happy little creature, 
much liked by all the family, and was only a trifling ex- 
pense, he had never thought of parting with her. Now, 
however, when a handsome price was offered, she assumed 
something like importance and interest in his eyes. He 
called her into the house, and she obeyed with great alac- 
rity, coming in neatly dressed, with a fresh white apron, 
and sundry bits of bright-colored ribbons tied round her 
head and neck. 



\ 



RATIE. 117 

" Give U3 one of your best songs, Eatie," said her 
master. 

The girl broke out in a wild, warbling strain, clear, 
bird-like, and musical, filling the long room with gushes 
of melody, until the lofty arches echoed and re-eclioed 
with the wild notes. When she had finished, the enthusi- 
astic stranger exclaimed, " That throat is a mint of gold ! " 

And so little hunchback Ratio sang song after song, 
until she exhausted herself; when her master sent her 
off to the slave-quarters, where she continued her ditties 
out under the broad, soft light of the low-hanging south- 
ern moon. 

The gentlemen sat up late that night, talking upon dif- 
ferent subjects ; but, before they parted, it was arranged 
that the stranger should buy Ratio at the high price he 
offered. 

The next morning, long before the sun rose, little Ratie 
was up, walking through the quarter. She stooped down 
to look at every drop of dew that glittered and sparkled 
on the green leaves and shrubs ; and when the great, 
round, golden sun began to creep up the eastern sky, 
and set it all ablaze with red and gold and purple clouds, 
glorious as the pavilion of the prophet. Ratio's httle spirit 
danced within her, and broke forth in hymns of music 
such as the wise men long ago — eighteen hundred years 
past — sang at the foot of a little manger in a stable in 
Bethlehem of Judasa. 

The child was too young and ignorant to know the 
meaning of the emotions which fluttered and set on fire 
her own soul, but she was none the less happy for this 
ignorance. God is very good ! 

As Ratie wandered on, singing to herself, she grew so 
happy that the rush of passionate fervor half frightened 



118 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

her. Tears came to her eyes, and choked the song in 
her throat. She paused in her walk, and seated herself 
on a little rock that lay in one corner of the quarter. As 
she sat there alone, she continued to sing and weep; 
wherefore she could not tell. By and by the great, rusty 
bell of the quarter rang out from its hoarse, iron tongue 
the morning summons for the slaves to assemble. Rag- 
ged, tattered, unshorn and unshaven, dirty, ill and angry- 
looking, the negroes — men, women, and children, in large 
numbers — collected in the quarter-yard, where the over- 
seer, an ugly, harsh white man, with a pistol in his belt, 
knife at his side, and whip in hand, stood to call the roll. 
At the mention of each name, a slave came forward, say- 
ing with a bow, " Here I am, massa." 

Ratie, who had no particular work to do, went limpings 
on past the place of the roll-call, when she saw her master 
and the strange gentleman coming toward her. She did 
not, however, notice them. They were talking together 
quite earnestly, and looking at her. Her master called 
out, " Stop, Ratie ; come this way." 

She obeyed the order with pleasing readiness. 

" Ratie," said the master, " how do you like this gentle- 
man ? " 

The child smiled, but made no answer in words. The 
master also smiled as he added : " He thinks that you 
sing very prettily, and he has bought you. He will be 
very kind and good to you ; and as soon as you have had 
breakfast, you must get your things ready to go off with 
him. Here is a present for you " ; and he tossed her a 
bright, shining, silver coin. 

The child seized the money, but did not seem to compre- 
hend her master's words. To be sold to her implied some 
sort of disgrace or hardship, which she did not think she 



RATIE. 119 

deserved ; besides, she had always lived on the " old plan- 
tation." She knew no other home ; she did not want 
to leave " the people " of the quarter ; nor did she feel 
happy in going away from the " white folks," particularly 
the " young mistresses," who had always been so kind to 
her. She had also some vague yearning of heart to be 
close to her mammy's grave, rough as it was ; and near 
also to Grandpap's cabin, where she roasted apples and 
potatoes on winter nights. 

She looked around upon the familiar quarter, the well- 
known people, the row of cabins ; and strained her gaze 
far away to the rolling fields in the distance, where the 
negroes, like a swarm of crows, were busy at their morn- 
ing's work ; and as she gazed, the whole landscape flushed 
with the bloom and beauty of the risen sun. Then the 
wild, pealing horn called the "sons of toil" from their 
morning hour's work to their frugal breakfast. 

Ratie's little heart began to beat in its narrow limits 
as the word " sold " wrote itself there, and broke through 
her comprehension with all its horrors. She started 
quickly after her master, and, with the freedom of 
a petted slave, caught hold of the skirt of his coat. 
Colonel Williams turned suddenly round ; and there, 
crouching on the earth at his feet, was the hunchback 
child. She held up the money which he had given her, 
and, in a sweet, tremulous voice, asked : " Massa, why has 
you sold me? I has not behaved bad, as de boys did 
dat you sold last year. I does n't steal nor tell lies. Is 
it bekase I 'se lazy ? I do all de work dey gives me to do. 
I '11 do more. I '11 go into de fields. I '11 plant and pick 
de cotton. Please don't sell me. I does n't want to leave 
de ole place. Mammy is buried here ; so I wants to be 
when I dies. I wants allers to live here." 



120 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

The stranofer and Colonel Williams were much moved. 
They did not venture to speak to the child, but tried to 
get away from the sound of her plaintive cries. 

When the negroes drew around their morning meal, 
and learned that Katie was sold, they were unhappy, 
and refused to eat anything. They looked sorrowfully 
at one another, and turned away from their untasted food. 
" Poor Ratio ! " exclaimed the old negroes, as they shook 
their heads in mournful discontent, " we shall not hear 
any more her sweet songs in de evenin' time." 

The young mistresses came to Ratie with kind gifts 
and kinder words. They told her, with teai*s in their 
eyes, how sorry they were to part with her, how good 
they knew she had been, and how much they wished 
their papa would allow her to stay. Words and acts 
like these softened the blow to the unfortunate child, and 
strengthened her for the coming trial. She looked up 
smilingly through her tears, as she said to her young 
mistresses : " Please not to cry for me. God is good, 
and de preacher says he is everywhar ; so I shall not 
be fur from de ole plantation." 

When she was starting away, each of the negroes 
brought her some little gift, such as cotton handker- 
chiefs, old ribbon-ends, bright-colored glass beads, or 
autumn berries, dried and strung on threads for neck 
6rnaments. Each of these humble little tokens possessed 
an individual interest which touched some spring in Ka- 
tie's little heart. When the hour of separation came, she 
had nerved herself to the highest courage of which she 
was capable. She took leave of each of the slaves, all 
of them calling down the blessings of God upon her life. 
An old, lame negro man, whom the slaves addressed as 
Grandpap, hobbled from his cabin, on a broken crutch, 
to utter his farewell. 



4^ EATIE. 121 

" Good by, Ratie," lie began, and his voice choked 
with emotion ; " good by, little Ratie, and may de good 
Lord be wid you. Him dat keres fur de poor, de lowly, 
and de despised, up yonder, way fur and high up dere, 
is a God dat loves all of his chillens alike. He does n't 
kere fur de color ob de skin or de quality ob de hair. In 
his sight, wool is jist as good as de fair, straight hair. 
He loves de heart, and looks straight and deep into dat, 
and keres fur nothin' else. Never you be afeard, Ratie, 
Him '11 take kere ob you, an' all sich as you, bekase He 
loves dem dat He smites and afflicts. Now, He did n't 
break your poor little back for nothin'. Him has Him's 
eye upon you. You is a lamb ob de fold, dat de great 
Shepherd will go fur and long to look arter. Him holds 
you in the holler ob Him's hand, an' He '11 keep you dar. 
Mind what I tell you. Good by, Ratie. God bless you. 
Allers trust Him. 'Member my last words ; dat is, AUers 
trust Him. Look to Him, and He '11 never forget you." 

As he uttered these words, in a slow, oracular manner, 
he brushed a tear from his eye with the back of his old, 
hard hand, and looking tenderly toward the child, his lips 
moved slowly, and the words seemed to melt unheard in 
the thin, morning air. He turned from her and hobbled 
off in the direction of his cabin. 

The other slaves were more passionately demonstra- 
tive in their farewells ; but little Ratie bore up with a 
beautiful and proud composure. 

• • • • • 

The new owner proved very kind to the gentle little 
creature ; but her heart had received a blow from which 
it could not recover. 

The master took her to New Orleans, intendins to have 
her taught music, that she might make money for him ; 
6 



122 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

but the poor child pined for " de ole plantation " and 
" de ole folks at home," — the kind people — " my peo- 
ple," as she fondly called them — with whom she had 
been brought up. 

In the great city of New Orleans she was literally 
lost. She missed the free country air, the green trees, 
the sweet singing-birds, the fields blooming with early 
flowers, the meadows and the running brooks. It was 
easy to see that the little hunchback was not happy. She 
grew thinner and thinner, and her voice lost its flexible 
sweetness, its clear and liquid roundness of tone. At 
last she fell away to a mere skeleton ; then sharp, burning 
fever set in, and little Ratie was taken down to her bed. 
Day and night, in the delirium of fever, she raved for 
" de ole plantation " and her own people. 

The new master promised, when she got better, to take 
her back to her old home, — at least for a little while. 
But, alas ! she never grew any better. She faded slowly 
away, until one evening, just at sundown, in the gay city 
of New Orleans, little Ratie breathed her last. 

Just before she died, she lifted her head from the pil- 
low, and, resting on lier hand, she pointed eastward, say- 
ing : " Over dar is de ole plantation. Don't you see ? 
How pretty and nice it looks ! Dar is all de peoples 
at work. How busy dey is ! But I'se not gwine dar. 
I does n't want to, any more. Dere up dar is God's plan- 
tation, and it is betterer far. Dere is no slaves dar, but 
all is free and happy, — loving fiiends ; and it is dar dat 
I wants to go ; and I hopes dat all de plantation folks 
will come to me." 

And so little Ratie died. 

FTom the New York Independent. 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST. 123 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 



H 



BY JAMES MONTGOMEBT. 

AIL to the Lord's anointed ! 
Great David's greater Son ! 
Hail, in the time appointed, 
His reign on earth begun ! 
He comes to break oppression. 

To set the captive free, 
To take away transgression, 
And rule in equity. 

He comes, with succor speedy, 
To those who suffer wrono* ; 

To help the poor and needy, 
And bid t!ie weak be strong ; 

To eive them sonjxs for sisrhinof. 
Their darkness turned to liffht. 



Whose souls, condemned and dying 
Were precious in his sight. 



to' 



To him shall prayer unceasing, 

And daily vows ascend ; 
His kingdom still increasing, — 

A kingdom without end. 
The tide of time shall never 

His covenant remove ; 
His name shall stand forever, — 

That name to us is Love. 



124 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 



THE BEGINNING AND PROGRESS OF EMANCI- 
PATION IN THE BRITISH WEST INDIES. 

N" OTHING has ever been done in this world more 
wicked and- cruel than the slave-trade on the 
coast of Africa. But the temptation to carry it on was 
very great ; for hundreds of men and women could be 
bought for a cask of poor rum or a peck of cheap beads, 
and could be sold in the markets of America or the West 
Indies for thousands of dollars. A hundred years ago 
men were not at all ashamed of growing rich in this bad 
way. They were respected in society as much as other 
men. They were often members of churches and pro- 
fessed to be very pious. Perhaps they deceived them- 
selves, as well as others, and really thought they were 
pious, because they observed all the ritual forms of re- 
ligion. But, above all their prayers, God heard the 
groans and the cries of the poor tortured Africans. He 
put it into the heart of a young Englishman, named 
Thomas Clarkson, to inquire into the wicked business, 
that was going on under the sanction of the government, 
and unreproved by the Church. In the course of his 
investigations, this young man discovered that the most 
shocking cruelties were habitually practised. He found 
that poor creatures stolen from their homes were packed 
close, like bales of goods, in the dark holds of ships, 
where they were half choked by bad odors from ac- 
cumulated filth, and where they could hardly breathe for 
want of air. The food allotted them was merely enough 
to keep them alive. Many died of grief and despair, 



WEST INDIES. 125 

and still more of burning fevers and other diseases. Liv- 
ing and dead often remained huddled together for hours, 
and when the corpses were removed they were thrown 
out to the sharks. But the sea-captains engaged in this 
horrid traffic were selfish as well as cruel. They did not 
like to have their victims die, because every one they 
lost on the passage diminished the dollars they expected 
to get by selling them. So at times they brought the 
poor half-dead wretches on deck and drove them round 
with a whip for exercise, and insulted their misery by 
compelling them to dance, and sing the songs they had 
sung in their native land. 

Thomas Clarkson called public attention to the subject 
by publishing these things in a pamphlet. More than 
thirty years before, the humane sect called Quakers had 
forbidden any of its members to be connected with the 
slave-trade. But though the abominable traffic had 
been carried on more than two hundred and fifty years 
by various nations calling themselves Christian, there 
had been no attempt to excite general attention to the 
subject till Clarkson published his pamphlet in 1786, 
seventy-nine years ago. He became so much interested 
in the question that he gave up all other pursuits in life, 
and wrote, and lectured, and talked about it incessantly. 
The assembled representatives of the people which we 
call a Congress, is called a Parliament in Great Britain.* 
He tried to bring the subject before that body, and suc- 
ceeded in gaining the attention of some members, among 
whom the most conspicuous was the benevolent William 
Wilberforce. He soon joined Mr. Clarkson in the for- 
mation of a Society for the Abolition of the Slave-trade. 

* The northern part of Great Britain is called Scotland, the south- 
ern pnrt England. The entire people are called British. 



126 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

This of course gave great offence to the sea-captains and 
merchants engaged in the profitable traffic. Clarkson 
met with all manner of insult and abuse, and his life was 
sometimes in danger. The British government did as 
governments are apt to do, — it sided with the rich and 
powerful as long as it was politic to do so. But, though 
many of the aristocracy were haughty and selfish, the 
generality of the common people were ready to sympa- 
thize with the poor and the oppressed. When they 
became aware of the outrages committed in the slave- 
trade, they determined that a stop should be put to it. 
They wrote, and talked, and petitioned Parliament, till 
the government was compelled to pay some attention to 
their demands. When the friends of the infernal traffic 
found that a resolution to abolish it was likely to be 
passed, they contrived to get the word "gradual" inserted 
into the resolution, and thus defeated the will of the peo- 
ple ; for the gradual abolition of crime is no abolition at 
all. It was as absurd as it would have been for them to 
say they would abolish murder gradually. But though 
the law was insufficient to accomplish the desired pur- 
pose, public opinion against the trade exerted an increas- 
ino: influence. The friends of those who were en2;ao;ed 
in it began to apologize for it as a nece.-sary branch of 
trade, and pleaded that laborers could not be supplied in 
the hot climate of the West Indies in any other way. 
They were even shameless enough to defend it and praise 
it as a benevolent scheme to bring savages away from 
heathen Africa and make good Christians of them. Mr. 
Boswell, a well-known English writer of that period, 
went so far as to pronounce it " a trade which God had 
sanctioned " ; and he declared that " to abolish it would 
be to shut the gates of mercy on mankind." Such pre- 



WEST INDIES. 127 

tences deceived some. But the English people have a 
great deal of good coaimon sense ; and it was not easy 
to convince them that stealing men, women, and children 
from their homes, torturing them ou the ocean, and sell- 
ing them in strange lands, to be whipped to incessant toil 
without wages, was a pious missionary enterprise. 

Clarkson, Wilberforce, and others continued their un- 
remitting labors to suppress the unrighteous traffic; the 
kindly sect of Quakers everywhere assisted them ; and 
benevolent people in other sects became more and more 
convinced that it was their duty to do the same. All 
manner of obstacles were put in the way of the desired 
reformation ; but at last, after twenty-two years of violent 
agitation, the slave-trade was entirely abolished by Great 
Britain, at the commencement of the year 1808. Six- 
teen years later, it was decreed by law that any British 
subject caught in the traffic should be punished as a 
pirate. 

The king, George the Third, was opposed to the aboli- 
tion, and so were all the royal family, except the Duke 
of Gloucester. The nobility and wealthy people, with 
a few honorable exceptions, took the same side. The 
measure was carried by the good sense and good feeling 
of the common people of Great Britain. 

There were no slaves in Great Britain. It had been 
decided by law that any slave who landed in that country 
became free the moment he touched the shore. But 
many of the West India islands, lying between North 
and South America, were under the British government, 
and the laborers there were held in Slavery. The Eng- 
lish people knew very little what was going on in those 
distant colonies. When West India planters visited their 
relatives and friends in Great Britain, they made out 



128 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

a very fair story for themselves. They said none but 
negroes could work in such a hot climate, that sugar 
must be made, and negroes would not work unless they 
were slaves. They represented themselves as very kind 
masters, and described their bondmen as a very contented 
and merry class of laborers. These planters were gen- 
erally dashing men, who spent freely the money they did 
not earn ; and their fine manners and smooth talk gave 
the impression that they must be gentle men. 

People were slow to believe the accounts of cruelties 
practised in the West Indies by these polished gentle- 
men. But more and more facts were brought to light to 
prove that there was little to choose between the slave- 
trade and the system of Slavery. When the honest 
masses of the British people became convinced that the 
slaves in the West Indies were entirely subject to the 
will of their masters, however licentious that will might 
be, and that they were kept in such brutal ignorance they 
could not read the Bible, they said at once that such a 
system ought to be abolished. They sent missionaries to 
the West Indies to teach the negroes. The planters con- 
sidered this an impertinent interference with their affairs. 
They said if slaves were instructed they would rise in 
rebellion against their masters. The English people re- 
plied that it must be a very bad system which made it 
dangerous for human beings to read the Bible. The 
more closely they inquired into the subject, the more their 
indignation was roused. Brown faces and yellow faces 
among the slaves told a shameful story of licentious mas- 
ter.-, while the chains and whips and other instruments 
of torture found on every plantation proved that severe 
treatment was universal. Again the honest masses of 
the English people rose up in their moral majesty and 



WEST INDIES. 129 

said that wrong should be righted. The government 
was unfavorable to the abolition of Slavery, and the aris- 
tocracy, with a few honorable exceptions, sympathized 
with the slaveholders. The West-Indian planters were 
boiling over with rage. They pulled down the chapels 
where the negroes met together to hear the words of 
Jesus; they mobbed the missionaries, they thrust them 
into dungeons, and two or three of them were killed. 
Some of the planters thought Slavery was a bad system, 
but they had to be very cautious in expressing such an 
opinion; for if they were even suspected of favoring 
abolition, their neighbors were sure to make them suffer 
for it in some way. Even women seemed to be filled 
with the spirit of Furies, whenever the subject of Slavery 
was mentioned. One of them said, if she could get hold 
of Mr. Wilberforce she would tear his heart out. Every- 
where one heard mournful predictions of the ruin and 
desolation that would follow emancipation. They insisted 
that negroes would not work unless they were slaves, and 
of course no crops could be raised ; and what was still 
more to be dreaded, they would murder all the whites 
and set fire to the towns. Sometimes they would pre- 
sent the subject from a benevolent point of view, and 
urge that it would be the greatest unkindness to the ne- 
groes to give them freedom ; for when they had no kind 
masters to take care of them they would certainly starve. 
The slaves of course found out that something in their 
favor was going on in England. They watched eagerly 
for the arrival of vessels ; they took notice of everything 
that was said ; if they could get hold of a scrap of news- 
paper they hid it away, and those who could read would 
read it privately to the others. If their masters were 
unusually cross, or swore more than common, they would 

6* I 



130 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

wink at each other and say, " There 's good news for us 
from England." 

The masters, on their part, watched the slaves closelj. 
If they were more silent than common, or if they ap- 
peared to be in better spirits than common, they sus- 
pected them of plotting insurrections. But the negroes 
did more wisely than that. They believed that good 
people in England were working for them, and they tried 
to be patient till they were emancipated by law. There 
was but one exception to this. The planters in Jamaica 
were more bitter and furious than in the other islands. 
They formed societies to uphold Slavery, and made flam- 
ing speeches against the people and Parliament of Great 
Britain for " setting the slaves loose upon them," as they 
called it. They did not reflect that their colored ser- 
vants, as they passed in and out, heard this violent lan- 
guage and had sense enough to draw conclusions from it. 
But they did draw from it a conclusion very dangerous 
to their masters. They had heard talk of emancipation 
for several years, and it seemed to them that the prom- 
ised freedom was a long time coming. In 1832, the 
speeches of the planters were so furious against the 
doings in Parliament, that the slaves received the idea 
that the British government had already passed laws for 
their freedom, and that their masters were cheating them 
out of the legal rights that had been granted them. It 
was a sad mistake for the poor fellows, and brought a 
great deal of suffering upon tiiemselves and others. 
They rose in insurrection, and it is said destroyed prop- 
erty to the amount of six millions of dollars. But in- 
stead of being protected by the British government, as 
they had expected, soldiers were sent over to put down 
the insurrection, and many of the negroes were shot and 
hung. 



"WEST INDIES. 131 

Meanwhile their friends in Eno^land were workino; for 
them zealously. They published pamphlets and papers 
and made speeches, and urgently petitioned Parliament 
to '• let the people go." One petition alone was signed 
by eight hundred thousand women. One of the members, 
pointing to the enormous roll, said: "There is no use in 
trying longer to resist the will of the people. When all 
the women in Great Britain are knocking at the doors 
of Parliament, something must be done." 

The government and the aristocracy were very reluc- 
tant to comply with the demand of the people. But at 
last, after eleven years of more violent struggle than it 
had taken to suppress the African slave-trade, Slavery 
itself was abolished in the British West Indies forever. 
The decree was to go into effect on the Isl day of Au- 
gust, 1834, Up to the very last day, the planters per- 
sisted in saying that the measure would ruin the islands. 
They said the emancipated slaves would do no work, 
but would go round in large gangs, robbing, stealing, 
murdering the whites, burning the houses, and destroying 
the fields of sugar-cane. If the negroes had been revenge- 
ful, they might have done a great deal of mischief; for 
there were five times as many colored people in the islands 
as there were whites. But they were so thankful to get 
their freedom at last, that there was no room in their 
hearts for bad feelings. The tears were in their eyes 
as they told each other the good news, and said, " Bress 
de Lord and de good English people." 

But many of the masters really believed their own 
alarming prophesies. When they found that emancipa- 
tion could not be prevented, numbers left the islands. 
Some of those who remained did not dare to undress 
and go to bed on the night of the 31st of July ; and those 



132 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

who tried to sleep were generally restless and easily 
startled. 

But while masters and mistresses were dreading to 
hear screams and alarms of fire, their emancipated slaves 
were flocking to the churches to offer up prayers and 
hymns of thanksgiving. 

In the island of Antigua there were thirty thousand 
slaves when the midnight clock began to strive twelve, 
on the 31st of July, 1834; and when it had done strik- 
ing they were all free men and free women. It was a 
glorious moment, never to be forgotten by them dur- 
ing the remainder of their lives. The Wesleyan Meth- 
odists kept watch-night in all their chapels. One of the 
missionaries who exhorted the emancipated people and 
prayed with them thus described the solemn scene : — 

" The spacious house was filled with the candidates for 
liberty. All was animation and eagerness. A mighty 
chorus of voices swelled the song of expectation and joy ; 
and as they united in prayer, the voice of the leader was 
drowned in the universal acclamations of thanksgiving 
and praise and blessing and honor and glory to God, 
who had come down for their deliverance. In such exer- 
cises the evening was spent, until the hour of twelve 
approached. The missionary then proposed that when 
the cathedral clock should begin to strike, the whole 
con^resation should fall on their knees, and receive the 
boon of freedom in silence. Accordingly, as the loud 
bell tolled its first note, the crowded assembly prostrated 
themselves. All was silence, save the quivering, half- 
stifled breath of the struggling spirit. Slowly the tones 
of the clock fell upon the waiting multitude. Peal on 
peal, peal on peal, rolled over the prostrate throng, 
like angels' voices, thrilling their weary heartstrings. 



WEST INDIES. 133 

Scarcely had the last tone sounded, when lightning 
flashed vividly, and a loud peal of thunder rolled 
through the sky. It was God's pillar of fire. His 
trump of jubilee. It was followed by a moment of pro- 
found silence. Then came the outburst. They shouted 
' Glory ! Hallelujah ! ' They clapped their hands, they 
leaped up, they fell down, they clasped each other in 
their free arms, they cried, they laughed, they went to 
and fro, throwing upward their unfettered hands. High 
above all, a mighty sound ever and anon swelled up. It 
was the utterance of gratitude to God. 

" After this gush of excitement had spent itself, the 
congregation became calm, and religious exercises were 
resumed. The remainder of the night was spent in sing- 
ing and prayer, in reading the Bible, and in addresses 
from the missionaries, explaining the nature of the freedom 
just received, and exhorting the people to be industrious, 
steady, and obedient to the laws, and to show themselves 
in all things worthy of the high boon God had conferred 
upon them. 

"The 1st of August came on Friday; and a release 
from all work was proclaimed until the next Monday. 
The great mass of the negroes spent the day chiefly in 
the churches and chapels. The clergy and missionaries 
throughout the island actively seized the opportunity to 
enlighten the people on all the duties and responsibilities 
of their new relation. The day was like a Sabbath. A 
Sabbath, indeed, when 'the wicked ceased from troubling 
and the weary were at rest.' 

" The most kindly of the planters went to the chapels 
where their own people were assembled, and shook hands 
with them, and exchanged hearty good wishes. 

" At Grace Hill, a Moravian missionary station, the 



134 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

emancipated negroes begged to have a sunrise meeting 
on the 1st of August, as they had been accustomed to 
have at Easter; and as it was the Easter morning of their 
freedom, the request was granted. The people all dressed 
in white, and walked arm in arm to the chapel. There a 
hymn of thanksgiving was sung by the whole congregation 
kneeling. The singing was frequently interrupted by the 
tears and sobs of the melted people, until finally they 
w^ere overwhelmed by a tumult of emotion. 

" There was not a single dance by night or day ; not 
even so much as a fiddle played. There were no drunken 
carousals, no riotous assemblies. The emancipated were 
as far from dissipation and debauchery as they were from 
violence and carnage. Gratitude was the absorbing emo- 
tion. From the hill-tops and the valleys the cry of a 
disenthralled people went upward, like the sound of many 
waters : ' Glory to God ! Glory to God ! ' " 

Mr. Bleby, one of the Methodist missionaries in Ja- 
maica, thus describes the same night in that island : — 

"The church where the emancipated people assembled, 
at ten o'clock at night, was very large ; but the aisles, the 
gallery stairs, the communion-place, the pulpit stairs, were 
all crowded ; and there were thousands of people round 
the building, at every open door and window, looking in. 
We thought it right and proper that our Christian people 
should receive their freedom as a boon from God, in 
the house of prayer ; and we gathered them together in 
the church for a midnight service. Our mouths had 
been closed about Slavery up to that time. We could 
not quote a passage that had reference even to spir- 
itual emancipation, without endangering our lives. The 
planters had a law of ' constructive treason,' that doomed 
any man to death who made use of language tending to 



WEST INDIES. 135 

excite a desire for liberty among the slaves ; and they 
found treason in the Bible and sedition in the hymns of 
Watts and Wesley, and we had to be very careful how 
we used them. You may imagine with what feelings I 
saw myself emancipated from this thraldom, and free to 
proclaim ' liberty to the captive, and the opening of prison 
doors to them that were bound.' I took for my text, 
' Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, unto all the 
inhabitants thereof. It shall be a jubilee unto you." 

" A few minutes before midnight, I requested all the 
people to kneel down in silent prayer to God, as befitting 
the solemnity of the hour. I looked down upon them as 
they knelt. The silence was broken only by sobs of 
emotion, which it was impossible to repress. The clock 
began to strike. It was the knell of Slavery in all the 
British possessions ! It proclaimed liberty to eight hun- 
dred thousand human beings ! When I told them they 
might rise, what an outburst of joy there was among that 
mass of people ! The clock had ceased to strike, and 
they were slaves no longer! Mothers were hugging 
their babes to their bosoms, old white-headed men em- 
bracing their children and husbands clasping their wives 
in their arms. By and by all was still again, and I gave 
out a hymn. You may imagine the feelings with wliich 
these people, just emerging into freedom, shouted 

' Send the glad tidings o'er the sea! 
His chains are broke, the slave is free ! ' " 

But though the dreaded 1st of August passed away 
so peacefully and pleasantly, the planters coukl not get 
rid of the idea that their laborers would not work after 
they were free. Mr. Daniell, who managed several 
estates in Antigua, talking of the subject, two years after- 



136 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

ward, with an American gentleman from Kentucky, said : 
" I expected some irregularities would follow such a pro- 
digious change in the condition of the negroes. I sup- 
posed there would be some relaxation from labor during 
the week that followed emancipation ; but on Monday 
morning, I found all my hands in the field, not one miss- 
ing. The same day I received a message from another 
estate, of which I was proprietor, that the negroes, to a 
man, had refused to go into the field. I immediately 
rode to the estate, and found the laborers, with hoes in 
their hands, doing nothing. Accosting them in a friendly 
manner, I inquired, ' TVTiat is the meaning of this ? How 
is it that you are not at work this morning ? ' They 
immediately replied, ' It 's not because we don't want to 
work, massa ; but we wanted to see you, first and fore- 
most, to know what the bargain would be.' As soon as 
that matter was settled, the whole body of negroes turned 
out cheerfully." Another manager declared that the 
largest gang he had ever seen in the field, on his prop- 
erty, turned out the week after emancipation. And 
such in fact was the universal testimony of the managers 
throughout Antigua. 

In the days of Slavery, it had always been customary 
to order out the militia during the Christmas holidays, 
when the negroes were in the habit of congregating in 
large numbers, to enjoy the festivities of the season. But 
the December after emancipation, the Governor issued 
a proclamation, that, " in consequence of the abolition of 
Slavery^' there was no further need of taking that pre- 
caution. And it is a fact that there have been no sol- 
diers out at Christmas from that day to this. 

Unfortunately the British government had been so far 
influenced by the representations of the planters, that the 



WEST INDIES. 137 

plan of emancipation they adopted was a gradual one. 
All children under six years old were unconditionally 
free, the magistrates alone had power to punish, and no 
human being could be sold. But the slaves, under the 
new name of apprentices, were obliged to work for their 
masters six years longer without wages, except one day 
and a half in the week, which the law decreed should be 
their own. The number of hours they were to work 
each day was also stipulated by law. This was certainly 
a great improvement in their condition; but it was not 
all they had expected. They were peaceable, and worked 
more cheerfully than they had done while they were 
slaves ; for now a definite date was fixed when they 
should own all their time, and they knew that every 
week brought them nearer to it. Still they felt that 
entire justice had not been done to them. Sometimes 
white men asked them if they would work when they 
were entirely free. They answered, " In Slavery time 
we work ; now we work better ; den how you tink we 
work when we free^ when we get 'paid for work ! " Some- 
times people said to them, " 1 suppose you expect to do 
just as you please when you are your own masters?'* 
They replied : " We 'spect to 'bey de law. In oder 
countries where dey is all free dey hab de law. We 
could n't get along widout de law. In Slavery time, 
massa would sometimes slash we when we do as well as 
we could ; but de law don't do harm to anybody dat 
behaves himself. 'Prenticeship is bad enough ; but we 
know de law make it so, and for peace' sake we will be 
satisfy. But we murmur in we minds." 

In the island of Antigua, planters rejected the plan of 
apprenticeship. They said, " If the negroes must be free, 
let them be free at once, without any more fuss and 



138 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

trouble." The result proved that they judged wisely for 
theu* own interest, as well as for the comfort and en- 
couragement of their laborers. When the negroes found 
that they were paid for every day's work, they put their 
whole hearts into it. So zealous were they to earn 
wages, that they sometimes worked by moonlight, or by 
the light of fires kindled among the dry cane-stalks. In 
all respects, the change from the old order of things to 
the new went on more smoothly in Antigua than it did 
anywhere else. 

In the islands where apprenticeship was tried, the 
irritability of fhe masters made it work worse than it 
would otherwise have done. All that most of them 
seemed to care for was to get as much work out of their 
servants as they could, during the six years that they 
were to work without wages, and it vexed them that they 
could not use the lash whenever they pleased. They 
took away various little privileges which they had been 
accustomed to grant ; while during four days and a half 
of the week the apprentices received no wages to com- 
pensate them for the loss of those privileges. Being 
deprived of the power to sell the children, they refused 
to supply them with any food. In fact, they contrived 
every way to make the colored people think they had 
better have remained slaves. But if they called out, 
" Work faster, you black rascal, or I '11 flog you ! " the 
apprentices would sometimes lose patience, and answer, 
" You can't flog we now." That would make the master 
very angry, and he would -send the apprentice to a mag- 
istrate to be punished for impudence. The magistrates 
were the associates of the planters ; they ate their good 
dinners, and rode about in their carriages. Consequently, 
they were more inclined to believe them than they were 



WEST INDIES. 139 

to believe their servants. The laborers became so well 
aware of this, that they were accustomed to say to each 
other, " It 's of no use for us to apply to the magistrates. 
They are so poisoned by massa's turtle-soup." It has 
been computed by missionaries that, in the course of two 
years, sixty thousand apprentices received, among them 
all, two hundred and fifty thousand lashes, besides fifty 
thousand other legalized puni-^hments, such as the tread- 
mill and the chain-srans:. 

The planters were full of complaints to travellers who 
visited the West Indies. If they were asked, " Why 
don't you eiiiancipate your laborers entirely, and give 
them wages, as they do in Antigua, — they have no such 
troubles there?" the prejudiced men would shake their 
heads and answer : " Negroes will not work without being 
flogged. We must get what we can out of them before 
1840; for when they are their own masters they will 
rob, murder, or starve, rather than labor." 

Planters who manifested a more kind and considerate 
disposition had pleasanter relations with their servants, 
and they never found any difficulty in procuring as much 
labor as they wanted. Some made it easy for their 
apprentices to buy the remainder of their time ; and it 
was soon observed that those who owned all their time 
worked faster and better than those who were without 
that stimulus. The idea gained ground that uncondi- 
tional emancipation would be better both for masters and 
servants. The Macquis of Sligo, the humane Governor 
of Jamaica, set a good example by emancipating all his 
apprentices. People in England began to petition Par- 
liament to abolish the apprenticeship, on the ground that 
it proved unsatislactory and troublesome to all parties. 
The result was that all the apprentices in the British 



140 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

West Indies were made entirely free on the 1st of Au- 
gust, 1838. Mr. Phillippo, a Baptist missionary in Ja- 
maica, thus describes the observance of the day in that 
island : " On the preceding evening, the missionary sta- 
tions throughout the island were crowded with people, 
filling all the places of worship. They remained at their 
devotions till the day of liberty dawned, when they 
saluted it with joyous acclamations. Then they dis- 
persed through the towns and villages, singing ' God save 
the queen,' and rending the air with their shouts, — 
' Freedom 's come ! ' ' We 're free ! we 're free ! ' ' Our 
wives and children are free ! ' During 'the day, the 
places of worship were crowded to suffocation. The 
scenes presented exceeded all description. Joyous ex- 
citement pervaded the whole island. At Spanish Town, 
the Governor, Sir Lionel Smith, addressed the emanci- 
pated people, who formed a procession of seven thousand, 
and escorted the children of the schools, about two thou- 
sand in number, to the Government House. They bore 
banners and flags with various inscriptions, of which the 
following are samples : ' Education, Religion, and Social 
Order'; 'August First, 1838, — the Day of our Free- 
dom ' ; ' Truth and Justice have at last prevailed.' The 
children sang before the Government House, and his 
Excellency made a speech characterized by simplicity 
and kindness, which was received with enthusiastic cheers. 
The procession then escorted their pastor to his house. 
In front of the Baptist Chapel were three triumphal 
arches, decorated with leaves and flowers, and surmounted 
by flags bearing the inscriptions, ' Freedom has come ! ' 
' Slavery is no more ! ' ' The chains are broken, Africa 
is free ! ' There were many flags bearing the names of 
their English benefactors, — Clarkson, Wilberforce, Sligo, 



WEST INDIES. 141 

Thompson, etc. "When these were unfurled, the enthu- 
siasm of the multitude rose to the highest pitch. For 
nearly an hour the air rang with exulting shouts, in 
which the shrill voices of two thousand children joined, 
singing, ' We 're free ! we 're free ! ' Several of the 
kindly disposed planters gave rural fetes to the laborers. 
Long tables were spread in the lawns, arches of ever- 
greens were festooned with flowers, and on the trees 
floated banners bearing the names of those who had been 
most conspicuous in bringing about this blessed result. 
Songs were sung, speeches made, prayers offered, and a 
plentiful repast eaten. Mr. Phillippo says : " The con- 
duct of the newly emancipated peasantry would have 
done credit to Christians of the most civilized country in 
the world. They were clean in their persons, and neat 
in their attire. Their behavior was modest, unassuming, 
and decorous in a high degree. There was no crowding, 
no vulgar familiarity, but all were courteous and obliging 
to each other, as members of one harmonious family. 
There was no dancing, gambling, or carousing. All 
seemed to have a sense of the obligations they owed 
to their masters, to each other, and to the civil authori- 
ties. The masters who were present at these fetes con- 
gratulated their former dependents on the boon they had 
received, and hopes were mutually expressed that aU past 
differences and wrongs might be forgiven." 

On some of the estates where these festivals were held 
the laborers, with few individual exceptions, went to work 
as usual on the following day. Many of them gave their 
first week of free labor as ati offering of good-will to 
their masters. Thus the period from which many of the 
planters had apprehended the worst consequences passed 
away in peace and harmony. 



142 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

It is now twenty-seven years since the laborers in the 
British West Indies have been made entirely free ; and 
the missionaries, the magistrates, and even the masters 
agree that the laborers are much more faithful and indus- 
trious under the new system than they were under the 
iron rule of Slavery. It is true, some of the old plant- 
ers growled as long as they lived. They had always 
predicted that freedom would bring ruin on all classes, 
and it vexed them to see the negroes behaving so well. 
They, however, made the most of the fact that there was 
less sugar made than in former years. It was their own 
fault. The emancipated slaves wanted to stay and work 
on the plantations where they had always lived. But the 
masters could not give up their old habits of meanness 
and tyranny. Their laborers could scarcely support life 
with the very small wages they received ; and yet they 
took from them the little patches of provision-ground 
which they had formerly had, and charged them enor- 
mously high rent for their miserable little huts. It 
seemed as if they wanted to drive them to robbery, that 
they might say, " We told you it would be so, if you set 
them free." 

But the freedmen disappointed them. Under all dis- 
couragements, they persisted in behaving well. When 
they found that they could not get a living on the old 
plantations where they wanted to stay, they went to work 
on railroads, and wherever they could find employment. 
They laid up as much as they could of their wages, and 
bought bits of land, on which they built comfortable cabins 
for themselves, and laid out little gardens. Their wives 
and children raised poultry and tended a cow, and carried 
vegetables and butter and eggs to market, in baskets 
poised on their heads. With the money thus earned 



WEST INDIES. 143 

they bought more land and added to their little stock 
of furniture. Though the men received only from eigh- 
teen to twenty -four cents a day, out of which they boarded 
themselves, they were so industrious and saving that in 
four years the freedmen in Jamaica alone had bought and 
paid for one hundred thousand acres of land, and put up 
dwellings thereon. Mr. Phillippo states, that during that 
time as many as two hundred new villages of freedmen 
were formed. These villages generally received the 
names of benefactors, such as Clarkson, Wilberforce, 
Thompson, &c. To their own little homes they also 
gave names indicative of their gratitude and content- 
ment. They called them "Save Rent," "A Little of 
My Own," " Heart's Love," " Liberty and Content," 
"Happy Retreat," "Jane's Delight," "Thank God to 
see It," &c. 

Mr. Phillippo says : — 

" These free villages are regularly laid out. The 
houses are small, many of them built of stone or wood, 
with shingled roofs, green blinds, and verandalis, to shield 
them from the sun. INIost of them are neatly thatched, 
and generally plastered and whitewashed both outside 
and in. They now have looking-glasses, chairs, and side- 
boards decorated with pretty articles of glass and crock- 
ery. Each dwelling has its little plot of vegetables, 
generally neatly kept ; and many of them have flower- 
gardens in front, glowing with all the bright hues of the 
tropics. The groups often presented are worthy of the 
painter's pencil or the poet's song. Amid the stillness 
of a Sabbath evening, many families, after their return 
from the house of God, may be seen gathered together in 
the shadow of the trees, which overhang their cottages, 
singing hymns, or listening to the reading of the Scrip- 
tures, with none to molest or make them afraid." 



144 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Mr. Charles Tappan of Boston, who visited Jamaica 
several years after emancipation, writes : — 

" On landing at Kingston, I must confess I was half 
inclined to believe the story so industriously circulated, 
that the emancipated slave is more idle and vicious than 
any other of God's intelligent creatures ; but when I rode 
through the valleys and over the mountains, and found 
everywhere an industrious, sober people, I concluded all 
the vagabonds of the island had moved to the sea-shore, 
to pick up a precarious living by carrying baggage, beg- 
ging, &c. ; and such, upon inquiry, I found to be the fact. 
Wherever I went in the rural districts, I found contented 
men and women, cultivating sugar-cane, and numerous 
vegetables and fruits, on their own account. Their neat, 
well-furnished cottages compared well with the dwellings 
of pioneers in our own country. I found in them ma- 
hogany furniture, crockery and glass ware, and shelves 
of useful books. I saw Africans, of unmixed blood, 
grinding their own sugar-cane in their own mills, and 
making their own sugar. ; ' 

" I attended a large meeting called to decide the ques- 
tion about inviting a schoolmaster to settle among them. 
There was only one man who doubted the expediency of 
taking the children from work and sendinsj thefm to school. 
One said, ' My little learning enabled me to see that a 
note, given to me in payment for a horse was not written 
according to contract.' Another said, ' I should have 
been wronged out of forty pounds of coffee I sold in 
Kingston the other day, if I had n't known how to ci- 
pher.' Another said, ' I shall not have much property 
to leave my children ; but if they have learning they can 
get property.' Another said, ' Those that can read will 
be more likely to get religion.' All these people had 



WEST INDIES. 145 

been slaves, or were the children of slaves, I saw no 
intoxicated person in Jamaica ; and when it is considered 
that every man there can make rum, it strikes me as very 
remarkable." 

One of the most striking characteristics of this colored 
peasantry is their desire to obtain education for them- 
selves and their children. After a hard day's work, 
women would often walk miles, with babies in their 
arms, to learn the alphabet. With the first money they 
can spare they build school-houses and chapels and hire 
teachers. They also form charitable societies and con- 
tribute money to help the aged and sick among them. 
In the days of Slavery they herded together like ani- 
mals ; but now it is considered disreputable and wrong 
to live together without being married. In the days of 
Slavery they wore ragged and filthy garments, but free- 
dom has made them desirous of making a neat appear- 
ance. Their working-clothes are generally well mended 
and clean, and they keep a pretty suit to attend meeting 
and other festival occasions. They are very careful of 
their best clothes. When they go to dances, or social 
gatherings, they carry them in a basket, nicely folded 
and covered up, and put them on when they arrive ; and 
when they are about to return home they again pack 
them up carefully. When they have far to walk to 
meeting, over rough and dusty roads, they cai'ry their 
shoes and stockings till they come in sight of the 
church. 

This is not at all like what the old planters prophesied, 
when they said that if the negroes were freed they would 
skulk in the woods and steal yams to keep them from 
starving. But all that silly talk has passed away. Every- 
body in the British West Indies acknowledges that eman- 
7 J 



146 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

cipation has proved a blessing both to the white and the 
black population. There is not a planter to be found 
there who would restore Slavery again, if his own wish 
could do it. 



THE LAST NIGHT OF SLAVERY. 



L' 



BY JAMES MONTGOMERY. 

ET the floods clap their hands ! 
Let the mountains rejoice ! 
Let all the glad lands 

Breathe a jubilant voice ! 
The sun, that now sets on the waves of the sea, 
Shall gild with his rising the land of the free ! 

Let the islands be glad ! 

For their King in his might, 
"Who his glory hath clad 
With a garment of light, 
In the waters the beams of his chambers hath laid. 
And in the green waters his pathway hath made. 

Dispel the blue haze. 

Golden Fountain of Morn ! 
With meridian blaze 
The wide ocean adorn ! 
The sunlight has touched the glad waves of the sea. 
And day now illumines the land of the Free ! 



MADISON WASHINGTON. 147 



MADISON WASHINGTON. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



THIS man was a slave, born in Virginia. His lot 
was more tolerable than that of many who are 
doomed to bondage ; but from his early youth he always 
longed to be free. Nature had in fact made him too 
intelligent and energetic to be contented in Slavery. 
Perhaps he would have attempted to escape sooner 
than he did, had he not become in love with a beautiful 
octoroon slave named Susan. She was the daughter of 
her master, and the blood of the white race predomi- 
nated in several of her ancestors. Her eyes were blue, 
and her glossy dark hair fell in soft, silky ringlets. Her 
lover was an unmixed black, and he also was handsome. 
His features were well formed, and his large dark eyes 
were very bright and expressive. He had a manly air, 
his motions were easy and dignified, and altogether he 
looked like a being that would never consent to wear a 
chain. 

If he had hated Slavery before, he naturally hated it 
worse after he had married Susan ; for a handsome 
woman, who is a slave, is constantly liable to insult and 
wrong, from which an enslaved husband has no power to 
protect her. They laid plans to escape ; but unfor- 
tunately their intention was discovered before they could 
carry it into effect. To avoid being sold to the far 
South, where he could have no hopes of ever rejoining 
his beloved Susan, he ran to the woods, where he re- 



148 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

mained concealed several months, suffering mucli from 
privation and anxiety. His wife knew where he was, 
and succeeded in conveying some messages to him, with- 
out being detected. She persuaded him not to wait for a 
chance to take her wdth him, but to go to Canada and 
earn money enough to buy her freedom, and then she 
would go to him. 

He travelled only in the night, and by careful manage- 
ment, after a good deal of hardship, he reached the 
Northern States, and passed into Canada. There he 
let himself out to work on the farm of a man named 
Dickson. He was so strong, industrious, intelligent, and 
well behaved, that the farmer hoped to keep him a long 
time in his employ. He never mentioned that he was 
born a slave ; for the idea was always hateful to him, 
and he thought also that circumstances mi^ht arise 
which would render it prudent to keep his own secret. 
He showed little inclination for conversation, and oc- 
cupied every leisure moment in learning to read and 
write. He remained there half a year, without any 
tidings from his wife ; for there are many difficulties in 
the way of slaves communicating with each other at a 
distance. He became sad and restless. His employer 
noticed it, and tried to cheer him up. One day he said 
to him: "Madison, you seem to be discontented. What 
have you to complain of? Do you think you are not 
treated well here ? Or are you dissatisfied with the 
wages I give you?" 

•" I have no complaint to make of my treatment, sir," 
replied Madison. " You have been just and kind to me ; 
and since you manifest so much interest in me, I will tell 
you what it is that makes me so gloomy." 

He then related his story, and told how his heart was 



MADISON WASHINGTON. 149 

homesick for his dear Susan. Pie said she was so hand- 
some that they would ask a high price for her, and he 
had been calculating that it would take him years to 
earn enough to buy her ; meanwhile, he knew not what 
might happen to her. There was no law to protect a 
slave, and he feared all sorts of things ; especially, he 
was afraid they might sell her to the far South, where 
he could never trace her. So he said he had made 
up his mind to go back to Virginia and try to bring 
her away. Mr. Dickson urged him not to attempt it. 
He reminded him of the dangers he would incur : that he 
would run a great risk of getting back into Slavery, 
and that perhaps he himself would be sold to the far 
South, where he never would be able to communicate 
with his wife. • But Madison replied, '' I am well aware 
of that, sir; but freedom does me no good unless Susan 
can share it with me." 

He accordingly left his safe place of refuge, and started 
for Virginia. He had free-papers made out, which he 
thought would protect him till he arrived in the neigh- 
borhood where he was known. He also purchased sev- 
eral small files and saws, which he concealed in the lin- 
ino[ of his clothes. With these tools he thought he could 
effect his escape from prison, if he should be taken up on 
the suspicion of being a runaway slave. Passing through 
the State of Ohio, he met several who had previously 
seen him on his way to Canada. They all tried to per- 
suade him not to go back to Virginia ; telling him there 
were nine chances out of ten that he would get caught 
and carried back into Slavery again. But his answer 
always was, " Freedom does me no good while my wife 
is a slave." 

When he came to the region where he was known, he 



150 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

hid in woods and swamps during the day, and travelled 
only in the night. At last he came in sight of his mas- 
ter's farm, and hid himself in the woods near by. There 
he remained several days, in a dreadful state of suspense 
and anxiety. He could not contrive any means to obtain 
information concerning his wife. He was afraid they 
might have sold her, for fear she would follow him. He 
prowled about in the night, in hopes of seeing some old 
acquaintance, who would tell him whether she was still 
at the old place ; but he saw no one whom he could ven- 
ture to trust. At last fortune favored him. One even- 
ing he heard many voices singing, and he knew by their 
songs that they were slaves. As they passed up the 
road, he came out from the woods and joined them. 
There were so many of them that the addition of one 
more was not noticed. He found that they were slaves 
from several plantations, who had permits from their 
masters to go to a corn-shucking. They were merry, for 
they were expecting to have a lively time and a comfort- 
able supper. Being a moonless evening, they could not 
see Madison's face, and he was careful not to let them 
discover wlio he was. He went with them to the corn- 
shucking ; and, keeping himself in the shadow all the 
time, he contrived, in the course of conversation, to find 
out all he wanted to know. Susan was not sold, and she 
was living in the same house where he had left her. He 
was hungry, for he had befen several days without food, 
except such as he could pick up in the woods ; but he 
did not dare to show his face at the supper, where dozens 
would be sure to recognize him. So he skulked away 
into the woods again, happy in the consciousness that his 
Susan was not far off. 

He resolved to attempt to see her the next night. He 



MADISON WASHINGTON. 151 

was afraid to tap at her window after all the people in 
the Great House were abed and asleep ; for, as she sup- 
posed he was in Canada, he thought she might be fright- 
ened and call somebody. He therefore ventured to 
approach her room in the evening. Unfortunately, the 
overseer saw him, and called a number of whites, who 
rushed into the room just as he entered it. He fought 
hard, and knocked down three of them in his efforts to 
escape. But they struck at him with their bowie-knives 
till he was so faint with loss of blood that he could resist 
no longer. They chained him and carried him to Rich- 
mond, where he was placed in the jail. His prospects 
were now dreary enough. His long-cherished hope of 
being reunited to his dear wife vanished away in the 
darkness of despair. 

There was a slave-trader in Richmond buying a gang 
of slaves for the market of New Orleans. Madison 
Washington was sold to him, and carried on board the 
brig Creole, owned by Johnson and Eperson, of Rich- 
mond, and commanded by Captain Enson. The brig was 
lying at the dock waiting for her cargo, which consisted 
of tobacco, hemp, flax, and slaves. There were two 
separate cabins for the slaves : one for the men and the 
other for the women. Some of the poor creatures be- 
longed to Johnson and Eperson, some to Thomas Mc- 
Cargo, and some to Henry Hewell. Each had a little 
private history of separation and sorrow. There was 
many a bleeding heart there, beside the noble heart that 
was throbbinsf in the bosom of Madison Washington. 
His purchasers saw that he was intelligent, and they 
knew that he was sold for having escaped to Canada. 
He was therefore chained to the floor of the cabin and 
closely watched. He seemed quiet and even cheerful, 



152 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

and they concluded that he was reconciled to his fate. 
On the contrary, he was never further from such a state 
of mind. He closely observed the slaves who were in 
the cabin with him. His discriminating eye soon selected 
those whom he could trust. To them he whispered that 
there were more than a hundred slaves on board, and 
few whites. He had his saws and files still hidden in 
the lininof of his clothes. These were bu>ilv u.-ed to 
open their chains, while the captain and crew were asleep. 
They still continued to wear their chains, and no one 
suspected that they could slip their hands and feet out at 
their pleasure. 

When the Creole had been nine days out they encoun- 
tered rough weather. Most of the slaves were sea-sick, 
and therefore were not watched so closely as usual. On 
the night of November 7, 1841, the wind was blowing 
hard. The captain and mate were on deck, and nearly 
all the crew. Mr. Henry Ilewell, one of the owners of 
the cargo of slaves, who had formerly been a slave-driver 
on a plantation, was seated on the companion, smoking a 
cigar. The first watch had just been summoned, when 
Madison Washington sprang on deck, followed by eigh- 
teen other slaves. They seized whatever they could find 
to use as weapons. Hewell drew a pistol from under his 
coat, fired at one of the slaves and killed him. Madison 
Washington struck at him with a capstan-bar, and he fell 
dead at his feet. The first and second mates both at- 
tacked Madison at once. His strong^ arms threw them 
upon the deck wounded, but not killed. He fought for 
freedom, not for revenge ; and as soon as they had dis- 
armed the whites and secured them safely, he called out 
to his accomplices not to shed blood. With his own 
hands he dressed the wounds of the crew, and told them 



MADISON WASHINGTON. 153 

they had nothing to fear if they would obey his orders. 
The man who had been a chained slave half an hour 
before was now master of the vessel, and his grateful 
companions called him Captain Washington. Being ig- 
norant of navigation, he told Merritt, the first mate, that 
he should have the freedom of the deck, if he would take 
an oath to carry the brig faithfully into the nearest port 
of the British West Indies ; and he was afraid to do 
otherwise. 

The next morning Captain Washington ordered the 
cook to prepare the best breakfast the store-room could 
furnish, for it was his intention to give all the freed slaves 
a good meal. The women, who had been greatly fright- 
ened by the tumult the night before, were glad enough to 
come out of their close cabin into the fresh air. And' 
who do you think was among them ? Susan, the beauti- 
ful young wife of Madison, was there ! She had been 
accused of communicating with her husband in Canada, 
and being therefore considered a dangerous person, she 
had been sold to the slave-trader to be carried to the 
market of New Orleans. Neither of them knew that 
the other was on board. With a cry of surprise and joy 
they rushed into each other's arms. The freed slaves 
threw up their caps and hurrahed again and again, till the 
sea-gulls wondered at the noise. O, it was a joyful, joy- 
ful time ! Captain Washington was repaid for all he had 
suffered. He had gained his own liberty, after having 
struggled for it in vain for years ;. he had freed a hundred 
and thirty-four of his oppressed brethren and sisters; 
and he had his beloved Susan in his arms, carrying her 
to a land where the laws would protect their domestic 
happiness. He felt richer at that moment than any king 

with a golden crown upon his head. 

7* 



154 THE FEEEDxMEN'S BOOK. 

There had been but two lives lost. One white man 
was killed in the affray, and he was the slave-driver who 
shot down one of the slaves. Captain Enson and others 
who were wounded were kindly cared for by Captain 
Washington. They proved ungrateful, and tried to re- 
gain possession of the vessel and the slaves. The blacks 
were so exasperated by this attempt, that they wanted to 
kill all the whites on board. But Captain Washington 
called out to them : " We have got our liberty, and that 
is all we have been fighting for. Let no more blood be 
shed ! I have promised to protect these men. They 
have shown that they are not worthy of it ; but let us be 
magnanimous." 

Next morning the Creole arrived at Nassau, in the 
island of New Providence. Captain Washington and 
his companions sprang out upon free soil. There he and 
his beloved Susan are living under the protection of laws 
which make no distinctions on account of complexion. 



EXTRACT FROM THE VIRGINIA BILL OF RIGHTS. 

" The election of members to serve as representatives of the 
people in Assembly ought to be free ; and all men having suf- 
ficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and at- 
tachment to, the community have the right of suffrage ; and 
they cannot be taxed, or deprived of their property for public 
uses, without their own consent, or that of their representa- 
tives so elected ; nor can they be bound by any law to which 
they have not assented, in like manner, for the public good." 

The Virginia Bill of Rights was unanimously adopted by 
the people, in June, 1776 ; and when they met, in January, 
1830, to amend the constitution of the State, they voted that 
the Bill of Rights needed no amendment. 



PRAISE OF CREATION. 155 



PRAISE OF CREATION. 

BY GEORGE HOKTON. 

CREATION fires ray tongue ! 
Nature, tlij^ anthems raise, 
And spread the universal song 
Of thy Creator's praise. 

When each revolving wheel 
Assumed its sphere sublime, 

Submissive Earth then heard the peal, 
And struck the march of time. 

The march in heaven begun, 
And splendor filled the skies, 

When Wisdom bade the morning sun 
With joy from chaos rise. 

The angels heard the tune 

Throughout creation ring ; 
They seized their golden harps as soon. 

And touched on every string. 

When time and space were young. 



o> 



And music rolled along. 



The morning stars together sung, 
And heaven was drowned in song. 



156 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



CAPTAIN ANTHONY owned two or three farms 
on the eastern shore of Maryland, and held about 
thirty slaves. One of them, a black woman named Betsy, 
married a free black man named Isaac 3aily ; and they 
had a numerous family of children, all of whom were, of 
course, slaves to Captain Anthony. When she became 
an old widow she lived in a hut separate from the other 
slaves, and was principally employed in nursing troops 
of babies, which her children brought into the world for 
the benefit of their master. Somewhere about the year 
1817, Harriet, the youngest of her five daughters, gave 
birth to a boy, on whom she bestowed the high-sounding 
name of Frederick Augustus Washington Baily. As 
she could not be spared from field-work, baby Frederick 
joined the band of little slaves that were under his grand- 
mother's care. Her hut was made of logs, with no win- 
dows, a clay floor, and a mud chimney. But the children 
were as well satisfied with it as if it had been a palace. 
They were too young to know that they were slaves, and 
they were as happy as little wild animals. They imitated 
the noises made by cats, dogs, pigs, and barn-yard fowls, 
and rolled over and over on the ground, laughing at their 
own fun. If the mud or dust made them uncomfortable, 
they walked into the river without undressing ; for the 
short tow shirt, which was their only garment, was washed 
by swimming, and soon dried in the sunshine. There 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 157 

was a wood close by, and it was one of their greatest 
pleasures to watch the squirrels as they frisked about, or 
sat on the stumps eating nuts. Near the hut was a well, 
with its beam placed between the boughs of an old tree, 
and so well balanced that the children could easily help 
themselves to water. Down in a valley, not far off, was 
a water-mill, where people went to get their corn ground. 
It was capital sport to play at fishing in the mill-pond, 
with thread lines, and hooks made of bent pins ; and they 
were never tired of seeing the big wheel turn round, 
throwing oflf great drops of water that sparkled in the 
sunshine. They lived mostly on corn mush, which they 
ate from a big wooden tray, with oyster-shells for spoons. 
But they were as healthy as little pigs, and enjoyed their 
coarse food as well. 

The greatest of their blessings was their good grand- 
mother, who nursed them kindly and did all she could 
to make them happy. They loved her dearly ; and when 
she was obliged to leave them for a short time, they 
greeted her return with merry shouts. She was ad- 
vanced in years, and the hair that peeped from under 
the folds of her turban was very gray. But she was 
remarkably strong for her age, straight in her figure, 
and quick in her motions. She was very expert at catch- 
ing fish, and sometimes spent half the day in the water 
She also made excellent nets to catch shad and herring ; 
and, as these nets sold extremely well, Captain Anthony 
still found the old slave profitable. She had the name 
of being born to good luck, because whatever business 
she undertook prospered in her hands. She raised such 
excellent sweet potatoes that people often sent for her 
to plant for them, saying, " If Gran'ma Betty touches 
them they '11 be sure to flourish." But the secret of her 



158 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

good luck was her intelligence and carefulness. When 
she dug potatoes she took pains not to cut or bruise them; 
and in winter she protected them from frost in a hole 
under her hearth. 

Freddy's poor mother was not allowed the comfort of 
beins with her child. She was let out to work in the 
fields, twelve miles off. Whenever she went to see her 
little boy she had to walk over all those miles twice in 
the night-time, after a hard day's work; for if she was not 
back in the field by sunrise she was severely whipped. 
Freddy saw her but four or five times, and never by day- 
light. Sometimes she would lie down beside him and 
talk to him till he fell asleep, but when he woke she was 
always gone. He always remembered that she once took 
him on her knee and gave him a cake in the shape of a 
heart. Her rare visits made such an impression on him 
that he never forgot her personal appearance. She was 
tall and finely proportioned, with regular features and a 
deep black glossy complexion. Her manners were very 
sedate, her countenance downcast, and her eyes very sad. 
When he was nearly seven years old she died ; but he 
knew nothing about it till long afterward. In later years 
he heard that she could read, and that she was the only one 
of all the slaves in the neighborhood who possessed that 
advantage. He never discovered how she had learned. 
When she died he was too young to have heard anything 
from her lips concerning his father. He was always told 
that he was the son of a white man, and some whispered 
the name of his master. But he never knew who was his 
father, and could only conjecture why the eyes of his poor 
mother had such a sad expression. 

Captain Anthony did not carry on any of his own 
farms. He employed overseers for that purpose ; and 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 159 

however cruelly the slaves might be treated' by the over- 
seers, they never could obtain any protection by applying 
to the " old master," as they called him. All the interest 
he took in them was to have as much work as possible 
forced out of them, and to sell one every year to add to 
his income. He himself managed the affairs of Colonel 
Lloyd, a wealthy gentleman with numerous plantations 
and a thousand slaves. His home-plantation, on the river 
Miles, where he resided with his family, was about twelve 
miles from the hut where Frederick had been nursed. 
His manager. Captain Anthony, lived in a house on the 
same plantation, and was personally a stranger to his own 
little slaves. But the children had seen and heard of 
things which made the name of the " old master " a terror 
to them. Frederick's first great trouble was when he 
discovered that he was a slave, and that, as soon as he 
was big enough to w^ork, he would have to go to " old 
master." Nothing could exceed his dread of leaving the 
dear old home, and being separated from the kind friend 
of his childhood. When he was about eight years old, 
Captain Anthony sent for him ; but his grandmother ^ept 
it a secret, knowing how it would frighten him. One 
bright summer morning she told him she was going to 
Colonel Lloyd's plantation, and invited him to go with 
her. He had a curiosity to see the grand place of which 
he had heard so much ; so she took him by the hand and 
led him away from the happy home of his childhood, to 
which he never returned. She carefully concealed from 
him how her heart was swelling, and her tender ways did 
not lead him to suspect it. When the unconscious little 
boy began to be overcome with fatigue she " toted " him 
on her strong shoulders. She scarcely seemed to feel the 
burden, and insisted upon carrying him a long way ; but he 



IGO. THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

felt too much of a man to permit it. He was, however, 
a little afraid as they walked through the thick, dark 
woods ; for sometimes the old knotted and gnarled stumps, 
when seen from a distance, looked like creatures with eyes 
and legs ; and he kept a tight hold of her gown till the 
monstrous things were safely passed. 

It was afternoon before they reached the famous Home 
Plantation of Colonel Lloyd. There he found every- 
thing very different from the solitude and poverty to 
which he had been accustomed. The plantation seemed 
like a village, there were so many large houses, and sta- 
bles, and out-buildings, and mechanics' shops, and such 
a long row of huts for the " slaves' quarters." Children 
were shouting and singing, and a great many men and 
women were hoeing in the fields. The children came 
crowding round Frederick, and asked him to go and play 
with them. He looked in his grandmother's face, and 
seeing that she seemed very sad, he begun to suspect that 
he was going to live with the " old master." He was 
unwilling to lose sight of her for a moment; but she 
patted him on the head, and said, " Be a good boy, and 
go and play with the children. That one is your brother 
Perry, that is your sister Sarah, and that is your sister 
Eliza." He had heard of these brothers and sisters be- 
fore, but he had never seen them, and they seemed like 
strangers. He kept close to his grandmother ; but at 
last she persuaded him to follow the children to the back 
part of the house. He felt so shy that he stood leaning 
against the wall, looking on, while the others played. 
After a while, a little boy, who had been left in the 
kitchen, ran up to him, exclaiming, " Fed ! Fed ! Grand- 
mammy 's gone ! " He rushed after her, and when he 
found that she was gone far out of sight, he threw himself 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. IGl 

on the ground and sobbed. His brother and sisters 
brought him peaches and pears, but he flung them away, 
and continued sobbing, till, overcome with sorrow and 
fatigue, he fell into a deep sleep. 

As Colonel Lloyd's plantation was not near any town, 
the barrels, wheels, shoes, and cloth that were needed by 
the numerous slaves were manufactured by themselves. 
Large crops of grain and tobacco were raised and shipped 
for Baltimore. All the business of twenty or thirty other 
farms was transacted at this plantation, which was dis- 
tinguished by the name of " The Great House Farm " ; 
and as Captain Anthony was overseer of all the over- 
seers, he was kept very busy all the time. He took no 
notice of Freddy at first, but when told who the new- 
comer was, he patted him on the head and said, " You 
are my little Indian boy." Occasionally when* he met 
him he would speak affectionately to him ; but he was a 
violent-tempered man, and Freddy soon learned to watch 
him closely when he saw him coming. If he was shak- 
ing his head or muttering to himself, he hastened to get 
out of his way, lest he should catch a blow without 
knowing what it was for. The slave children had no 
one to care for them but cross Katy, the cook, wdio cujQfed 
them about, and kept all, except her own children, in 
such a half-starved condition, that Freddy often had a 
tussle with the dogs and cats for the bones that were 
thrown to them. Summer and winter, they had no cloth- 
ing but a coarse tow shirt that reached to the knees. 
They were provided with two a year ; and if they wore 
out before allowance-day came round, they went naked. 
The}'' slept anywhere on the floor without covering. 
Freddy suflTered much from cold. His naked feet were 
cracked open in great gashes in the winter. Wlien he 



162 THE FREED JIEN'S BOOK. 

could get a chance, he would creep into the meal-bag at 
night. So much for the care taken of their bodies ; and 
it fared no better with their souls. All the instruction 
they received was from Uncle Isaac, a crippled slave, 
who, being unable to work, taught the children to say 
the Lord's Prayer after him by rote, and switched them 
whenever they made a mistake. 

But Freddy was at an age to bear privations and 
troubles lightly, and to enjoy thoughtlessly whatever 
pleasant things came in his way. He had never seen 
anything so grand as The Great House, in which Colo- 
nel Lloyd resided. It was a large white building, with 
piazza and columns in front, surrounded by arbors, and 
grain-houses, and turkey-houses, and pigeon-houses, inter- 
spersed with grand old trees. There was an extensive 
lawn, kept as smooth as velvet, and ornamented with 
flowering shrubs. The carriage-road to and from the 
house made a circle round the lawn, and was paved with 
white pebbles from the beach. Outside of this enclosed 
space were extensive parks, where rabbits, deer, and 
other wild animals frisked about. Flocks of red-winjjed 
blackbirds made the trees look gay, and filled the air 
with melody. Vessels on their way to Baltimore were 
continually in sight, and a sloop belonging to Colonel 
Lloyd lay in the river, with its pretty little boat bobbing 
about in the sparkling water. There was a windmill not 
far off, and the little slaves were never tired of watching 
the great wings go whirling round. There was a creek 
to swim in, and crabs and clams and oysters to be got 
by wading and digging and raking for them. Freddy 
was glad enough to catch them when he had a chance, 
for he never had half enough to eat. He had one 
friend at The Great House. Daniel Lloyd, the CoIot 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 163 

nel's youngest son, liked to have him assist in his sports. 
He protected him when bigger boys wanted to make war 
upon him, and sometimes he gave him a cake. Cap- 
tain Anthony's family consisted of a son, Andrew, and 
a daughter, Lucretia, who had married Captain Thomas 
Auld. Mrs. Lucretia took a fancy to bright little Freddy. 
She liked to hear him sing, and often spoke a kind word 
to him. This emboldened him so much, that when he 
was very hungry he would go and sing under the window 
where she sat at work, and she would generally give him 
a piece of bread, sometimes with butter on it. That was 
a great treat for a boy who was fed all the time on corn 
mush, and could not get half enough of that. His busi- 
ness was to clean the front yard, to keep fowls out of the 
garden, to drive the cows home from pasture, and to run 
of errands. He had a good deal of time to play with 
his little relatives, and with the young slaves at Colonel 
Lloyd's, who called him " Captain Anthony Fed." He 
was such a mere boy, that it is no wonder so many new 
people and things soon cured him of homesickness for his 
grandmother, who could very seldom get time to trudge 
twelve miles to see him. 

But though his slave-life was not without gleams of 
enjoyment, he saw and heard much that was painful. 
At one time he would see Colonel Lloyd compel a faith- 
ful old slave get down upon his knees to be Jiogged for 
not keeping the hair of his horses sufficiently smooth. 
At another time, the overseer would shoot a slave dead 
for refusing to come up to be whipped. Ever and anon 
some of them were sold to Georgia slave-traders, and 
there was weeping and wailing in the families they left 
behind. On the premises of his own master, he was not 
unfrequently wakened in the night by the screams and 



164 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

groans of slaves wlio were being lashed. One of Cap- 
tain Anthony's slaves, named Esther, was the sister of 
Freddy's mother. She had a pretty face and a graceful 
shape. She and a handsome young slave of Colonel 
Lloyd's were much attached, and wished to marry. But 
her old master, for reasons of his own, forbade her to 
see her lover, and if he suspected them of meeting he 
would abuse the poor girl in a most shocking manner. 
Freddy was too young at the time to understand the full 
significance of this cruel treatment ; but when he thought 
of it in after years, it explained to him why his poor 
mother had always looked so downcast and sad. As for 
himself, he managed to escape very severe punishment, 
though Captain Anthony not unfrequently whipped him 
for some carelessness or mischief. But when he saw the 
plantation -laborers, even of so rich a man as Colonel 
Lloyd, driven out to toil from early morning to dusk, 
shivering in the cold winds, or drip[)ing with rain, with 
no covering but a few coarse tow rags, he could not help 
thinking that such was likely to be his fate when he was 
older. Young as he was, he had a great dread of being 
a field-hand. Therefore he was rejoiced when Mrs. 
Lucretia told him he was to be sent to Baltimore, to live 
with her husband's brother, Mr. Hugh Auld. She told 
him if he would make himself very clean, she would give 
him a pair of new trousers. The prospect of exchanging 
his little tow shirt for new trousers delighted him so 
much that he was ready to scrub his skin off to obtain 
them. He was, moreover, very eager to see Baltimore ; 
for slaves who had been there told fine stories about the 
grand houses and the multitude of ships. He had been 
only two years at Captain Anthony's, and he had formed 
no attachment so strong as that he had felt for his old 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 165 

grandmother. It was with a joyful heart that he went 
forth to view the wonders of the city. When he arrived 
in Baltimore, his new mistress met him at the door with 
a pleasant smile. She said to her son, " There 's little 
Freddy, who has come to take care of you " ; and to him 
she said, " You must be kind to little Tommy." Mrs. 
Sophia Auld had earned her own living before her mar- 
riage, and she had not yet acquired the ways of slave- 
holders toward servants. "While her own little Tommy 
was on her knee, Freddy was often seated by her side, 
and sometimes her soft hand would rest upon his head in 
a kind, motherly way. He had never been treated so 
since he left his good old grandmother. In a very short 
time he loved her with all his heart, and was eager to do 
anything to please her. It was his business to go of 
errands and take care of Tommy. The boys became as 
much attached to each other as if they were brothers. 
Tiiere was nothing to remind Freddy of being a slave. 
He had plenty of wholesome food to eat, clean clothes to 
wear, and a good straw bed with warm covering. Mrs. 
Auld was much in the habit of singing hymns and read- 
ing the Bible aloud ; and Freddy, who was not at all 
afraid of " Miss Sophy," as he called her, said to her one 
day that he wished she would teach him to read. She 
consented ; and he was so quick at learning that he wa3 
soon able to spell small words. His kind mistress was 
so much pleased with his progress, that she told her hus- 
band about it, and remarked, with much satisfaction, that 
Freddy would soon be able to read the Bible. Mr. Auld 
was displeased, and forbade her giving any more lessons. 
'• It is contrary to law to teach a nigger to read," said lie. 
" It is unsafe, and can only lead to mischief. If you 
teach him to read the Bible, it will make him discon- 



166 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

tented, and there will be no keeping him. Next thing, 
he will be wanting to learn to write ; and then he '11 be 
running away with himself." This was said in the pres- 
ence of Freddy, and it set his active mind to thinking. 
He had often before wondered why black children were 
born to be slaves ; and now he heard his master say that 
if he learned to read it would spoil him for a slave. He 
resolved that he would learn to read. He carried a 
spelling-book in his pocket when he went of errands, and 
persuaded some of the white boys who played with him 
to give him a lesson now and then. He was soon able to 
read. With some money that he earned for himself, he 
bought a book called " The Columbian Orator." It con- 
tained many speeches about liberty. The reading of 
them made him discontented. He was no longer light- 
hearted and full of fun. He became thoughtful and 
serious. When he played with white boys, he would 
ask, " Why have n't I as good a right to be free, and go 
where I please, as you have ? " And sometimes a gen- 
erous-hearted boy would answer, " I believe, Fred, you 
have just as good a right to be free as I have." • 

He knew that his present situation was uncommonly 
favorable ; but the idea of being a slave for life became 
more and more hateful to him. He had not been in 
Baltimore quite four years when an event occurred 
which proved to him the extreme uncertainty of a slave's 
condition, even when circunistances seemed the most 
favorable. His old master. Captain Anthony, died ; and 
his slaves were to be divided between his son Andrew 
and his daughter Mrs. Lucretia Auld. Frederick was in 
terror lest it should be decided that he belonged to An- 
drew, who was a confirmed drunkard, and excessively 
cruel to the slaves. It was a month before the division 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 167 

of the estate was decided by law ; and the anxiety of his 
mind was so great that it seemed to him half a year. 
He felt as if saved from sentence of death, when he was 
informed that he belonged to Mrs. Lucretia, who had 
been kind to him in his hungry boyhood. As she had no 
occasion for his services, it was agreed that he should 
remain in Mr. Hugh Auld's family ; a circumstance which 
pleased Master Tom and his mother about as much as it 
did Freddy. 

But in a short time he was again painfully reminded 
of the uncertainty of his condition. Mrs. Lucretia and 
her brother Andrew both died, each of them leaving 
one child. Neither Captain Anthony nor his children 
left any of the slaves free. Even Frederick's old grand- 
mother, who had nursed her master when he was a buby, 
waited upon him through his boyhood, worked faithfully 
for him during all her life, and reared up a multitude of 
children and grandchildren to toil for him, — even she 
was left in Slavery, with no provision made for her. The 
children she had tended so lovingly were sold, or let out 
in distant places ; all were unable to write to inform her 
where they had gone ; all were unable to help her, because 
they were not allowed to have their own earnings. When 
her old master and his children were dead, the owners of 
the property thought Gran'ma Betty was too old to be 
of any further use ; so they put up a hut with a mud 
chimney in the woods, and left her there to find food 
for herself as she could, with no mortal to render her 
any service in her dying hour. Tuis brutal proceeding 
increased the bitterness of Frederick's feeling against 
Slavery. 

By the blessing of God the consolations of religion 
came to him, and enabled him to look beyond this trou- 



168 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

bled and transitory world. A pious colored man, called 
Uncle Lawson, became interested in him. They at- 
tended prayer-meetings together, and Frederick often 
went to his house on Sundays. They had refreshing 
times together, reading the Bible, praying, and singing 
hymns. Uncle Lawson saw that his young friend had 
uncommon intelligence, and he often said to him, " Tiie 
Lord has a great work for you to do, and you must pre- 
pare yourself for it." Frederick replied that he did not 
see how a slave could prepare himself for any great 
work ; but the pious old man always answered, " Trust 
in the Lord. He will bring it about in his own good 
time. You must go on reading and studying Scripture." 
This prophecy inspired him with hope, and he seized 
every opportunity to improve himself. But he had many 
obstacles to contend with. His master, Mr. Hugh Auld, 
was made irritable by an increasing love for brandy. 
When he found out that Frederick read and spoke at 
religious meetings, he threatened to flog him if he con- 
tinued to do it. His kind mistress, who used to pat him 
on the head and call him " Little Freddy," was changed 
by the habit of having slaves and talking with slave- 
holders. The pleasant, motherly expression of her face 
had become sevei-e. She watched Frederick very closely, 
and if she caught him with a book or newspaper in his 
hand, she would rush at him in a great rage and snatch 
it away. Master Tommy had grown to be a tall lad, and 
besran to feel that he was born to be a master and Fred 
to be a slave. Frederick would probably have tried to 
run away, had it not been for the friendships he had 
formed for Uncle Lawson and the religious young men 
he met at the meetings. Notwithstanding his master's 
threat, he contrived to find opportunities to read and 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 169 

pray with good Uncle Lawson ; and it had a blessed influ- 
ence on his spirit, making him feel at peace with all men. 
Kow that he had a taste of knowledge, it was impossible 
to prevent his getting more. His master sent him of 
errands to the shipyard almost daily. He noticed that 
the carpenters marked their boards with letters. He 
asked the name of the letters, and copied them with a 
bit of chalk. When the family went from home, he 
diligently copied from the writing-books Master Tommy 
had brought from school ; and his zeal was so great that 
in a short time he could write as well as his master. He 
picked up bits of newspapers wherever he could find 
them, and he listened attentively when he heard slave- 
holders talking about the Northern States and cursing 
the Abolitionists. He did not at first know what was the 
meaning of "abolitionists "; but when he read in a newspa- 
per that petitions were sent into Congress for the abolition 
of Slavery, light dawned upon him. He told trustworthy 
colored friends about it, and they were comforted by the 
thought that there were people at the North trying to 
help them out of bondage. 

But a new blow fell upon him. Captain Thomas Auld 
married again, after the death of his wife Mrs. Lucretia, 
and removed to St. Michael's, — an old village, the prin- 
cipal business of which was oyster fishing. He got into 
a quarrel with his brother, Mr. Hugh Auld of Balti- 
more, and demanded that Frederick should be sent back 
to him. So he was put on board a ship for St. Michael's. 
"When swift steamboats on their way to Philadelphia 
passed the sloop tlsat carried him, he bitterly regretted 
that he had not escaped to the Free States from Balti- 
more, where he could have had so many more opportuni- 
ties for doing it than he could at the old fishiug-vilhige. 



170 THE FREEDxMEN'S BOOK. 

Captain Thomas Auld and his new wife were both great 
professors of religion. He was an exhorter and class- 
leader in the Methodist Church. But their religion was 
not of a kind that taught them humanity to their fellow- 
creatures. They worked their slaves very hard, and 
kept them half fed and half clothed. Scolding and flog- 
ging were going on incessantly. Frederick soon discov- 
ered that they were violently opposed to colored people's 
knowing how to read ; but when a pious young man in 
the neighborhood asked him to assist in a Sunday school 
for colored children, he resolved to seize the opportunity 
of beinor useful. When his master found out what he 
was doing, he was very angry ; and the next Sunday he 
and two other Methodist class-leaders went to the school, 
armed with clubs and whips, and drove off both teachers 
and scholars. It was agreed that Frederick had been 
spoiled by living in Baltimore, and that it was necessary 
to cure him of his dangerous thirst for knowledge. For 
that purpose he was sent to a famous " negro-breaker " in 
the neighborhood named Covey. He was a great profes- 
sor of religion, but a monster of cruelty. Frederick was 
almost killed by hard labor, and not a week passed with- 
out his being cruelly cut up with the whip. Escape was 
impossible, for Covey was on the watch at all times of 
day and night. Six months of such treatment wellnigh 
crushed all manhood out of him. But cruelty was car- 
ried so far that at last he became desperate, and when 
his master attempted to beat him, he struggled with him 
and threw him down. He expected to be hung for it, 
according to the laws of Maryland; but Covey prided 
himself on his reputation as a " negro-breaker," and he 
was ashamed to have it known that he had been con- 
quered by a lad of seventeen. Frederick's time was not 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 171 

out for six month's longer, but Covey never attempted to 
whip him again. 

The next two years Frederick was let out to do field- 
work for Mr. Freeland, who fed his slaves well, and 
never worked them beyond their strength. Some of his 
slaves were intelligent, and desirous to learn to read. 
On Sundays they had meetings in the woods, and twenty 
or thirty young men were taught by Frederick. After 
a while they formed a plan of escaping in a canoe. But 
some unknown men excited suspicion against them, and 
they were seized and thrust into prison. They kept 
their secrets so well, however, that no proof could be 
obtained against them, and they were released without 
even a whipping. But some of the neighboring slave- 
holders said Frederick was a dangerous fellow ; that he 
knew too much, — they would not have him tampering 
with their slaves ; and if he w^as not sent out of the 
neighborhood they would shoot him. Captain Thomas 
Auld talked of selling him to Alabama ; but he finally 
concluded to let him out again to his brother Hugh, with 
a promise that if he behaved well he should be free at 
twenty-five years old. 

When he returned to Baltimore he was let out to work 
at calking vessels ; and he soon became so ex])ert at the 
business that he earned from seven to nine dollars a 
week. He was trusted to make his own contracts, but 
was required to pay Mr. Hugh Auld his earnings every 
Saturday night. On such occasions a sixpence or a shil- 
ling was sometimes given him, for which he was expected 
to be grateful ; but it naturally occurred to him that the 
whole of the money rightfully belonged to him who 
earned it. . He was attached to a worthy girl named 
Anna, but he was reluctant to form family ties while he 



172 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

was subject to the vicissitudes of Slavery. He often 
thought of escaping to the Free States, but the regula- 
tions were so strict that it seemed a hopeless undertaking, 
unless he had money. When Captain Thomas Auld vis- 
ited Baltimore, he tried to make a bargain with him to 
buy his time for a specified sum each week, being free to 
earn as much more as he could. The reply was, " You 
are planning to run away. But, wherever you go, I shall 
catch you." The master then tried to coax him with 
promises of freedom in the future; but Frederick thought 
it very uncertain when they would be willing to give up 
a man who brought them in nine dollars a week. He 
concluded to go to the Free States. How he accom- 
plished it he never told, for he was afraid of bringing 
trouble upon those who helped him. 

When he arrived in New York, he says he felt as he 
should suppose a man would feel who had escaped from 
a den of hungry lions. But the joyful feeling was soon 
checked. He met an acquaintance who had recently 
escaped from Slavery. He told him the city was full 
of Southerners, who had agents out in every direction 
to catch runaway slaves ; and then he hurried away, as if 
afraid of being betrayed. This made Frederick feel very 
desolate. He was afraid to seek employment as a calker, 
lest spies from his master should be on the watch for him. 
He bought a loaf of bread, and hid away for the night 
among some barrels on a wharf. In the morning, he met 
a sailor, who looked so good-natured and honest that he 
ventured to tell him he was a fugitive slave, and to ask 
him for advice. He was not deceived in the expression 
of the man's face. He invited him to his house, and went 
in search of Mr. David Ruggles, a worthy colored man, 
well known as a zealous friend of his oppressed race. 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 173 

The fugitive was kept hidden for a few days, during 
which time Anna was sent for, and they were married. 
By help of Mr. Ruggles, employment at calking was ob- 
tained in New Bedford, a large town in Massachusetts, 
where a great many ships are constantly employed. There 
he found many intelligent colored people, not a few of 
whom had been slaves. They lived in convenient houses, 
took newspapers, bought books, and sent their children 
to good schools. They had various societies for im- 
provement ; and when he attended their meetings, he 
was surprised to hear their spirited discussions on vari- 
ous subjects. His bright mind was roused into full ac- 
tivity by the influences around him. He changed his 
name to Frederick Douglass. He was called Mr. Doug- 
lass now, and felt like it. He worked hard, but that was 
a pleasure, now that he could enjoy his own earnings. 
He felt safe ; for there were so many Abolitionists and 
so many intelligent colored people in New Bedford, that 
slaveholders did not venture to go there to hunt for fugi- 
tives. The cruel treatment he had received from hypo- 
critical professors of religion had not destroyed his faith 
in the excellence of real religion. He joined a church 
of colored people, called Zion Methodists, and became a 
class-leader and preacher among them. He took a news- 
paper called " The Liberator," edited by William Lloyd 
Garrison, wherein he found the rights of the colored 
people vindicated with great zeal and ability. His wife 
proved a neat and industrious helpmate, and a little 
family of children began to gather round him. Thus 
furnished with healthy employment for his mind, his 
heart, and his hands, he lived over three years in New 
Bedford. 

At the end of that period, in the year 1841, a great 



174 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Anti-Slavery meeting was held in the vicinity, and Mr. 
Douglass went to hear Mr. Garrison and others speak. 
He did not suppose that any one in the meeting knew 
him ; but a gentleman was present who had heard him 
preach in Zion Church, and he went to him and urged 
him to address the Anti-Slavery meeting. Pie was bash- 
ful about speaking before such a large and intelligent 
audience ; and when he was persuaded to mount the 
platform he trembled in every limb. But what he said 
flowed right out from the depths of his heart ; and when 
people of any intelligence speak in that w^ay, they are al- 
ways eloquent. The audience were greatly moved by 
what he told them of his experiences. It was the begin- 
ning of a great change in his life. The Anti-Slavery 
Society employed him to travel in the Free States to 
lecture against Slavery ; and that you may be sure he 
could do with a will. Crowds went to hear him, and his 
ministration was greatly blessed. The prophecy of good 
Uncle Lawson was fulfilled. The Lord had a great work 
for him to do ; and in His own good time he had brought 
it about. 

People who were in favor of Slavery said he was an 
impostor ; that he did not look like a slave, or speak like 
a slave ; and that. they did not believe he had ever been 
in the Southern States. To prove that he was not an 
impostor he wrote and published an account of his life, 
with the names of his masters and the places where they 
resided. The book was ably written, and produced al- 
most as great an effect as his lectures. Slaveholders were 
very angry that one of their escaped chattels should pro- 
duce such an excitement. Thei-e was great danger that 
some of their agents would kidnap him as he went about 
the country lecturing. It was therefore concluded that 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 175 

he had better go to England. In 1845 he took passage 
for Liverpool in the English steamship Cambria. He 
was invited to deliver a lecture on deck. Some slave- 
holders from New Orleans and Georgia, who were a lit- 
tle under the influence of brandy, swore they would throw 
him overboard if he did ; but the captain of the vessel 
threatened to put them in irons if they behaved in a dis- 
orderly manner. When they arrived in England they 
tried to injure Mr. Douglass by publishing that he was 
an insolent, lying negro ; but their efforts only served to 
make him famous. He delivered a great number of lec- 
tures, and attracted crowds everywhere. In the Free 
States of his own country he had been excluded from 
many places of improvement, and often insulted on ac- 
count of his color; but he had no such prejudice to en- 
counter in England. He behaved like a gentleman, and 
w^as treated like a gentleman. Many distinguished and 
wealthy people invited him to their houses, as a mark 
of respect for his natural abilities and the efforts he had 
made to improve himself. But he felt that his labors 
M^ere needed in America, in behalf of his oppressed breth- 
ren, and he wanted to return. His friends in England 
entered into negotiations with Captain Thomas Auld for 
the purchase of his freedom, which they succeeded in ob- 
taininsr for little more than seven hundred dollars. 

After an absence of two years he returned to the United 
States a freeman. He established himself with his family 
in Rochester, New York. There he edited a weekly 
newspaper, called "The North Star," and from time to 
time travelled about the country to deliver lectures, which 
were always fully attended. After he was free he wrote 
a spirited letter to his old master. Captain Thomas Auld, 
in which he asks : " What has become of my dear old 



176 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK 

grandmother, whom you turned out, like an old horse, 
to die in the woods? If she is still alive, she must be 
near eighty years old, — too old to be of any service to 
you. O, she was father and mother to me, so far as hard 
toil for my comfort could make her so. Send her to me 
at Rochester, and it shall be the crowning happiness of 
my life to take care of her in her old age." I never 
heard that any answer was received to this letter. 

During the Rebellion Mr. Douglass labored zealously 
to raise colored regiments, and one of his sons enlisted 
in the service of the United States. After the Procla- 
mation of Emancipation he Avas invited to Baltimore, 
where he delivered an address before a large audience 
of respectable citizens. How different was free Mary- 
land from the Slavery -ridden State which he had left, 
secretly and in terror, nearly thirty years before ! 



HOW THE GOOD WORK GOES ON. 

Lsr the spring of 1865 an association of colored men was 
formed in Baltimore for moral and intellectual improvement. 
They bought a building formerly used by the Newton Uni- 
versity, for which they paid sixteen thousand dollars. In 
honor of their able pioneer, Frederick Douglass, they named 
it " The Douglass Institute." On the day of its dedication he 
dehvered an address before the association in Baltimore, in 
the course of which he said : " The mission of this institution 
is to develop manhood ; to build up manly character among 
the colored people of this city and State. It is to teach them 
the true idea of manly independence and self-respect. It is 
to be a dispenser of knowledge, a radiator of light. In a 
word, we dedicate this institution to virtue, temperance, 
knowledge, truth, hberty, and justice." 



DEDICATION HYMN. 177 



DEDICATION HYMN. 

BY J. M. WHITEFIELD. 

Written for the Vine Street Methodist Episcopal Church of colored 
people, in Buflfalo, N. Y. 

GOD of our sires ! before thy throne 
Our humble offering now we bring ; 
Deign to accept it as thine own, 

And dweU therein, Almighty King ! 
Around thy glorious throne above 

Angels and flaming seraphs sing ; 
Ai-changels own thy boundless love, 
And cherubim their tribute bring. 

And every swiftly rolling sphere, 

That wends its way through boundless space, 
Hymns forth, in chorus loud 'and clear, 

Its mighty Maker's power and grace. 
It is not ours to bear the parts 

In that celestial song of praise ; 
But here, O Lord ! with grateful hearts, 

This earthly fane to Thee we raise. 

O let thy presence fill this house, 

And from its portals ne'er depart! 
Accept, O Lord ! the humble vows 

Poured forth by every contrite heart ! 
No sacrifice of beast or bird, 

No clouds of incense here shall rise, 

8* L 



178 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

But, in accordance with thy word, 
We '11 bring a holier sacrifice. 

Here shall the hoary-headed sire 

Invoke thy grace, on bended knee ; 
While youth shall catch the sacred fire, 

And pour its song of praise to Thee. 
Let childhood, too, with stammering tongue. 

Here lisp thy name with reverent awe ; 
And high and low, and old and young, 

Learn to obey thy holy law. 

And when our spirits shall return 

Back to the God who gave them birth, 
And these frail bodies shall be borne 

To mingle with their kindred earth, — 
Then, in that house not made with hands. 

New anthems to thy praise we '11 sing. 
To Thee, who burst our slavish bands, 

Our Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King. 



A PRAYER. 



Grant, Father, that the time 
Of earth's deliverance may be near, 
When every land and tongue and clime 
The message of Thy love shall hear ; 
When, smitten as with fire from heaven. 
The captive's chain shall sink in dust. 
And to his fettered soul be given 
The glorious freedom of the just. 

John G. Whittier. 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 179 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



WILLIAM CRAFTS is a black man, born in 
Georgia. His master had the reputation of 
being a humane man and a pious Christian. Yet, when 
some of his slaves were getting old, he had no scruples 
about selling them away from their families, and buying 
a young lot. Among those sold were the father and 
mother of "William. They were sold to different pur- 
chasers from different places, and never saw each other 
again. They were much attached to each other, and it 
was a consolation to their son to think how happy would 
be their. reunion in another world; for he says he never 
knew people who more humbly placed their trust in God 
than his parents did. William was apprenticed to a 
cabinet-maker, and his brother to a blacksmith ; because 
slaves who worked well at a trade could be let out with 
more profit to their masters, and would also bring a 
higher price if sold. Before their time was out, their 
master became hard pressed for money. Accordingly, 
he sold the young blacksmith, and mortgaged William 
and his sister, a girl of fourteen. When the time of the 
mortgage was up, their master had no money to redeem 
them, and they were placed on the auction-block, to be 
sold to the highest bidder. The girl was sold first, and 
bouglit by a planter who lived some distance in the coun- 
try. William was strongly attached to his sister; and 
when he saw her put into a ciu't, to be carried away from 



180 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

him forever, it seemed as if his heart would burst. He 
knelt down and begged and entreated to be allowed to go 
and speak to her before she was taken away ; but they 
handled him roughly, and ordered him to stay on the 
auction-block. As he stood there awaiting his own fate, 
he saw the cart moving slowly away. The tears were 
rolling down his sister's cheeks, and she stretched her 
hands toward him with a movement of despair. The 
thought that he could do nothing for her, and that they 
might never meet more, almost killed him. His eyes 
were blinded with tears ; and when he could see again, 
the cart was gone. 

He was bought by the man to whom he had been 
mortgaged, and ordered to return to the cabinet-maker's 
shop to work. After a while his new master took him 
to Macon, where he was let out to work at his trade. 
There he became acquainted with a quadroon girl named 
Ellen, whom he afterward married. 

Ellen was the daughter of her master, but her mother 
was a slave. Her handsome dark eyes were apt to at- 
tract attention ; her hair was straight, and her skin was so 
nearly white that strangers often mistook her for one of 
her master's own white family. This was very vexatious 
to her mistress, who treated her so harshly that the poor 
child had no comfort of her life. When she was eleven 
years old she was given to a daughter of her mistress, 
who was about to be married to a gentleman living in 
Macon. It was painful to part from her poor mother, 
but she was glad to get away from the incessant cruelty 
of her old mistress. Her new mistress proved more 
humane. In her service Ellen grew up without being 
exposed to some of the most degrading influences of 
Slavery. 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 181 

She and the intelligent young cabinet-maker formed 
an attachment for each other soon after they were ac- 
quainted. But Ellen had seen so much of the separa- 
tion of families in Slavery, that she was very reluctant 
to marry. Whenever William said anything about it, 
she reminded him that they were both slaves ; and that if 
they were married either of their masters could separate 
them whenever they chose. William remembered, with 
bitterness of heart, how his father and mother and brother 
had been sold, and how his sister had been torn from 
him without his being allowed to bid her good by. He 
had not been tortured in his own person, but he had seen 
other slaves cruelly whipped and branded with hot iron, 
hunted and torn by bloodhounds, and even burned alive, 
merely for trying to get their freedom. In view of these 
things, he had a great horror of bringing children into 
the world to be slaves. He and Ellen often talked to- 
gether about escaping to the North and being married 
there. But they reflected that they would have to travel 
a thousand miles before they could reach any Free State. 
They knew that bloodhounds and slave-hunters would 
be put upon their track ; that if they were taken, they 
would be subjected to terrible tortures ; and that, even if 
they succeeded in reaching the Free States, they would 
still be in danger of being delivered up to their masters. 
They talked over a variety of plans ; but the prospect of 
escape teemed so discouraging, that at last they concluded 
to ask their owner's consent to their marriage ; and they 
resolved to be as contented as they could in the situation 
to which they were born. But they were too intelligent 
not to know that a great wrong was done to them by 
keeping them in slavery. William shuddered to think 
into what cruel and licentious hands his dear wife might 



182 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

fall if she should be sold by her present owners ; and 
Ellen was filled with great anguish whenever she thought 
what might happen to her children, if she should be a 
mother. They were always thinking and talking about 
freedom, and they often prayed earnestly to God that 
some way of escape might be opened for them. 

In December, 1848, a bold plan came into William's 
mind. He thousfht that if his wife were dressed in men's 
clothes she could easily pass for a white gentleman, and 
that he could accompany her on her travels as her negro 
slave. Ellen, who was very modest and timid, at first 
shrank from the idea. But, after reflecting more upon 
their hopeless situation, she said : " It seems too difficult 
for us to undertake ; but I feel that God is on our side, 
and with His help we may carry it through. We will 
try." 

It was contrary to law for white men in the Southern 
States to sell anything secretly to slaves ; but there were 
always enough ready to do it for the sake of getting 
money, — especially as they knew that no colored man 
was allowed to testify against a white man. William 
was . skilful and diligent at his trade ; and though his 
wages all went to his master, he had contrived to lay up 
money by doing jobs for others in extra hours. He 
therefore found little difficulty in buying the various arti- 
cles of a gentleman's dress, at different times and in dif- 
ferent parts of the town. He had previously made Ellen 
a chest of drawers, with locks and key ; and as she was 
a favorite and trusted slave, she was allowed to keep it 
for her own use in the little room where she slept. As 
fast as the articles were bought they were secretly con- 
veyed to her, and she locked them up. The next impor- 
tant thing was to obtain leave of absence for a few days. 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 183 

It was near Christmas-time, when kind slaveholders some- 
times permit favorite slaves to be absent on a visit to 
friends or relatives. But Ellen's services were very 
necessary to her mistress, and she had to ask many times 
before she could obtain a written permission to be gone 
for a few days. The cabinet-maker for whom William 
worked was persuaded to give him a similar paper, but 
he charged him to be sure and return as soon as the time 
was up, because he should need him very much. There 
was still another difficulty in the way. Travellers were 
required to register their names at the custom-houses 
and hotels, and to sign a certificate for the slaves who 
accompanied them. When Ellen remembered this, it 
made her weep bitterly to think that she could not write. 
But in a few moments she wiped her eyes and said, with 
a smile, " I will poultice my right hand and put it in a 
sling, and then there will be a good excuse for asking 
the officers to write my name for me." When she was 
dressed in her disguise, W^illiam thought she could easily 
pass for a white gentleman, only she looked young enough 
for a mere boy ; he therefore bought a pair of green 
spectacles to make her look older. She, on her part, 
was afraid that the smoothness of her chin might betray 
her ; she therefore resolved to tie a bandage round her 
face, as if she were troubled with toothache. 

In four days after they first thought of the plan, all 
was in readiness. They sat up all night, whispering over 
to each other the parts they were to act in case of vari- 
ous supposable difficulties. William cut oflT Ellen's glossy 
black hair, according to the fashion of gentlemen. When 
all was carefully arranged, they knelt together and 
prayed that God would protect them through their peril- 
ous undertaking. They raised the latch of the door very 



184 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

softly, and looked out and listened. Nobody was stirring 
abroad, and all was still. But Ellen trembled and threw 
herself on her husband's breast. There she wept for a 
few moments, while he tried to comfort her with whis- 
pered words of encouragement, though he also felt that 
they were going forth into the midst of terrible dangers. . 
She soon recovered her calmness, and said, " Let us go." 
They stepped out on tiptoe, shook hands in silence, and 
parted to go to the railway station by different routes. 
William deemed it prudent to take a short cut across the 
fields, to avoid being recognized ; but his wife, who was 
now to pass for his young master, went by the public 
road. Under the name of Mr. William Johnson, she 
purchased tickets for herself and slave for Savannah, 
which was about two hundred miles off. The porter who 
took charge of the luggage at the station had formerly 
wished to marry Ellen ; but her disguise was so complete 
that he called her " Young massa," and respectfully 
obeyed her orders concerning the baggage. She gave 
him a bit of money for his trouble, and he made his best 
bow. 

The moment William arrived at the station, he hid 
himself in the " negro car " assigned to servants. It 
was lucky that he did so ; for, just before the train started, 
he saw upon the platform the cabinet-maker, who had 
given him a pass for quite a different purpose than an 
excursion to Savannah. He was looking round, as if 
searching for some one ; and William afterward heard 
that he suspected him of attempting to escape. Luckily, 
the train started before he had time to examine the 



" negro car." 



Ellen had a narrow escape on her part ; for a gentle- 
man who took the seat beside her proved to be Mr. Cray, 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 185 

who frequently visited at her master's house, and who 
had known her ever since she was a child. Her first 
thought was that he had come to seize her and carry her 
back ; but it soon became evident that he did not recognize 
her in a gentleman's dress, with green spectacles, band- 
aged face, and her arm in a sling. After the cars started, 
he remarked, " It is a very fine morning, sir." Ellen, 
being afraid that her voice would betray her, continued 
to look out of the window, and made no reply. After 
a little while, he repeated the remark in a louder tone. 
The passengers who heard him began to smile, and Mr. 
Cray turned away, saying, " I shall not trouble that deaf 
fellow any more." To her great relief, he left the cars at 
the next station. 

They arrived at Savannah early in the evening, and 
William having brought his master something to eat, 
they went on board a steamer bound for Charleston, 
South Carolina. Mr. Johnson, as Ellen was now called, 
deemed it most prudent to retire to his berth immedi- 
ately. William, fearing this might seem strange to the 
other passengers, made a great fuss warming flannels and 
opodeldoc at the stove, informing them that his young 
master was an invalid travtdling to Philadelphia in hopes 
of getting cured. He did not tell them the disease was 
Slavery ; he called it inflammatory rheumatism. The 
next morning, at breakfast, Mr. Johnson was seated by 
the captain of the boat, and, as his right hand was tied in 
a sling, his servant, William, cut up his food for him. 
The captain remarked, " You have a very attentive boy, 
sir ; but I advise you to watch him like a hawk when 
you get North. Several gentlemen have lately lost 
valuable niggers among them cut-throat Abolitionists." 

A hard-looking slave-trader, with red eyes, and bristly 



186 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

beard, was sitting opposite. He laid down a piece of 
chicken he was eating, and with his thumbs stuck in the 
arm-holes of his waistcoat, said : " I would n't take a nig- 
ger North under no consideration. Now, if you 'd like 
to sell that 'ere boy, I '11 pay you for him in silver dol- 
lars, on this 'ere board. What do you say, stranger ? " 
Mr. Johnson replied, " I do not wish to sell him, sir ; 
I could not get on well without him." " You '11 have to 
get on without him, if you take him to the North," con- 
tinued the slave-trader. " I am an older cove than you 
are, and I reckon I have had more dealings with niggers. 
I tell you, stranger, that boy will never do you any good 
if you take him across Mason and Dixon's line. I can 
see by the cut of his eye that he is bound to run away as 
soon as he can get a chance." Mr. Johnson replied, " I 
think not, sir. I have great confidence in his fidelity." 
Whereupon the slave-trader began to swear about nig- 
gers in general. A military officer, who was also travel- 
ling with a servant, said to Mr. Johnson : " Excuse me, 
sir, for saying I think you are likely to spoil that boy of 
yours by saying ' thank you ' to him. The only way to 
make a nigger toe the mark, and to keep him in his 
place, is to storm at him like thunder. Don't you see 
that when I speak to my Ned, he darts like lightning ? 
If he did n't, I 'd skin him." 

When the steamboat arrived at Charleston, the hearts 
of the fugitives beat almost loud enough to be heard ; 
they were so afraid their flight had been discovered, and 
a telegraph sent from Savannah to have them 'arrested. 
But they passed unnoticed among the crowd. They took 
a carriage and drove to a fashionable hotel, where the 
invalid gentleman received every attention befitting his 
supposed rank. He was seated at a luxurious table in a 



WILLIAM A^sD ELLEN CRAFTS. 187 

brilliant dining-room, while William received some frag- 
ments of food on a broken plate, and was told to go into 
the kitchen. Mr. Johnson gave some pieces of money to 
the servants who waited upon him ; and they .said to 
William, " Your massa is a big-bug. He is de greatest 
gentleman dat has been dis way dis six months." 

Notwithstanding the favorable impression he had made, 
Mr. Johnson found some difficulty in obtaining tickets to 
Philadelphia for himself and his slave. The master of 
the ticket-office refused to write the invalid gentleman's 
name for him. But the military officer who had break- 
fasted with him stepped up and said he knew the gentle- 
man, and all was right. The captain of the North 
Carolina steamer hearing this, and not wishing to lose 
a passenger, said, " I will register the gentleman's name, 
and take the responsibility upon myself." Mr. Johnson 
thanked him politely, and the captain remarked : " No dis- 
respect was intended to you, sir ; but they are obliged to 
be very strict in Charleston. Some Abolitionist might 
take a valuable nigger along with him, and try to pass 
him off as his slave." 

They arrived safely at AYilmington, North Carolina, 
and took the cars to Richmond, Virginia. On the way, 
an elderly lady in the cars, seeing William on the plat- 
form, cried out, in great excitement, " There goes my 
nigger Ned ! " Mr. Johnson said, very politely, " No, 
madam, that is my boy." But the lady, without paying 
any attention to what he said, called out, " Ned, you run- 
away rascal, come to me, sir." On nearer inspection she 
perceived that she was mistaken, and said to Mr. Johnson: 
" I beg your pardon, sir. I was sure it was my Ned. I 
never saw two black pigs look more alike." 

From Petersburg, a Virginia gentleman with two hand- 



188 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

some dauofhters were in the same car with Mr. Johnson. 
Supposing him to be a rich, fashionable young South- 
erner, they were very attentive and sympathizing. The 
old gentleman told him he knew how to pity him, for he 
had had inflammatory rheumatism himself. He advised 
him to lie down to rest ; which he was very willing to do, 
as a good means of avoiding conversation. The ladies 
took their extra shawls and made a comfortable pillow 
for his head, and their father gave him a piece of paper 
which he said contained directions for curing the rheuma- 
tism. The invalid thanked him politely ; but not know- 
ing how to read, and fearing he might hold the paper 
upside down, prudently put it in his pocket. When they 
supposed him to be asleep, one of the ladies said, " Papa, 
he seems to be a very nice young gentleman"; and the 
other responded, "I never felt so much for any gentle- 
man in my life." 

At parting the Virginian gave him his card and said : 
"I hope you will call upon me when you return. I should 
be much pleased to see you, and so would my daughters." 
He gave ten cents to William, and charged him to be at- 
tentive to his master. This he promised to do, and he 
very faithfully kept his word. 

They arrived at Baltimore with the joyful feeling that 
they were close upon the borders of a Free State. Wil- 
liam saw that his master was comfortably placed in one 
of the best cars, and was getting into the servants' car 
when a man tapped him on the shoulder and asked where 
he was going. William replied humbly, " I am going to 
Philadelphia, sir, with my master, who is in the next 
car." " Then you had better get him out, and be mighty 
quick about it," said the man ; " for the train is going to 
start, and no man is allowed to take a slave past here till 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 189 

he has satisfied the folks in the office that he has a right 
to take him alons;." 

William felt as if he should drop down on the spot; 
but he controlled himself, and went and asked his master 
to go back to the office. It was a terrible fright. As 
Mr. Johnson stepped out he whispered, in great agitation, 
" William, is it possible we shall have to go back to 
Slavery, after all we have gone through ? " It was very 
hard to satisfy the station-master. He said if a man car- 
ried oflf a slave that did not belong to him, and the right- 
ful owner could prove that he escaped on that road, they 
would be obliged to pay for the slave. Mr. Johnson kept 
up a calm appearance, though his heart was in his throat. 
" I bought tickets at Charleston to pass us through to 
Philadelphia," said he ; " therefore you have no right to 
detain us here." " Right or no right, we shall not let 
you go," replied the man. Some of the spectators sympa- 
thized with the rich young Southerner, and said it was a 
pity to detain him when he was so unwell. While the 
man hesitated, the bell rang for the cars to start, and the 
fugitives were in an agony. " I don't know what to do." 
said the man. " It all seems to be right ; and as the 
gentleman is so unwell, it is a hard case for him to be 
stopped on the way. Clerk, run and tell the conductor 
to let this gentleman and his slave pass." 

They had scarcely time to scramble into the cars, be- 
fore the train started. It was eight o'clock in the even- 
ing, and they expected to arrive in Philadelphia early 
the next morning. They did not know that on the 
way the passengers would have to leave the cars and 
cross the river Susquehanna in a ferry-boat. They had 
slept very little for several nights before they left Georgia, 
and they had been travelling day and night for four days. 



190 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

William, overcome with fatigue, and feeling that their 
greatest dangers were now over, fell sound asleep on a 
heap of baggage. When they arrived at the ferry, it was 
cold, dark, and rainy; and for the first time during their 
hazardous journey the invalid found no faithful servant 
at hand when the cars stopped. He was in great distress, 
fearing that William had been arrested or kidnapped. 
He anxiously inquired of the passengers whether they 
had seen his boy. There were a good many Northerners 
on board, and, supposing his slave had run away, they 
rather enjoyed his perplexity. One gruffly replied, " I 
am no slave-hunter." Another smiled as he said, "I guess 
he is in PhiladeljDhia before now." 

When they had crossed the ferry one of the guard 
found William still sound asleep on the baggage, which 
had been rolled into the boat. He shook him and bawled 
out : " Wake up, you boy ! Your master has been half 
scared to death. He thought you had run away." As 
soon as William was enough awake to understand what 
had happened, he said, " I am sure my good master does 
not think that of me." He hastened to explain to Ml\ 
Johnson how he happened to be out of the way. He 
was received with a great leap of the heart ; but the 
passengers only thought that the master was very glad 
to recover his lost property. Some of them took a conve- 
nient opportunity to advise William to run away when 
they reached Philadelphia. He replied, " I shall never 
run away from such a good master as I have." They 
laughed, and said, "You will think differently when you 
get into a Free State." They told him how to proceed in 
case he wanted to be free, and he thanked them. A col- 
ored man also entered into conversation with him, and 
told him of a certain boarding-house in Philadelphia, the 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 191 

keeper of which was very friendly to slaves who wanted 
their freedom. 

On Christmas-day, just as morning was about to dawn, 
they came in sight of the flickering lights of Philadel- 
phia. William procured a cab as quick as possible, hur- 
ried their bao^nfanre into it, and told the driver to take 
them to the boarding-house which had been recommended 
to them. While Ellen had been obliged to act the part 
of Mr. Johnson, she had kept her mind wonderfully calm 
and collected. But now that she was on free soil she 
broke down with the excess of her emotions. " Thank 
God, William, we are safe, we are safe ! " she exclaimed ; 
and sinking upon her husband's breast, she burst into a 
passion of tears. When they arrived at the boarding- 
house, she was so faint she had no further occasion to act 
being an invalid. As soon as a room was provided, they 
entered and fastened the door. Then kneeling down side 
by side, folded in each other's arms, with tears flowing 
freely, they thanked God for having brought them safely 
through their dangerous journey, and having permitted 
them to live to see this happy Sabbath day, which was 
Christmas-day also. 

When they had rested and refreshed themselves with 
a wash, Ellen put on her womanly garments and went 
to the sitting-room. When the landlord came at their 
summons, he was very much surprised and perplexed. 
" Where is your master ? " inquired he ; and when Wil- 
liam pointed to his wife, he thought it was a joke ; for he 
could not believe she was the same person who came 
into the house in the dress of a gentleman. lie listened 
to their singular story with great interest and sympathy. 
He told them he was afraid it would not be safe for them 
to remain in Philadelphia, but he would send for some 



192 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

« 

Abolitionists who knew the laws better than he did. 
Friends soon came, and gave them a hearty welcome ; 
but they all agreed that it would not be safe for them to 
remain long in Philadelphia, and advised them to go to 
Boston. Barclay Ivens, a kind-hearted Quaker farmer, 
who lived some distance in the country, invited them to 
rest a few weeks at his house. They went accordingly. 
But Ellen, who had not been accustomed to receive such 
attentions from white people, was a little flurried when 
they arrived. She had received the impression that they 
were going to stay with colored people ; and when she 
saw a white lady and three daughters come out to the 
wagon to meet her, she was much disturbed, and said to 
William, " I thought they were colored people." " It is 
all the same as if they were," replied he. " They are 
our good friends." " It is not all tlie same," said Ellen, 
decidedly. " I have no faith in white people. They will 
be sending us back into Slavery. I am going right off." 
She had not then become acquainted with the Abolition- 
ists. She had heard her master and other Southerners 
talk about them as very bad men, who would make slaves 
believe they were their friends, and then sell them into 
distant countries. The Quaker lady saw that she was 
afraid, and she went up to her and took her very kindly 
by the hand, saying : " How art thou, my dear ? We are 
very glad to see thee and thy iiusband. We have heard 
about thy marvellous escape from Slavery. Come in and 
warm thyself. I dare say thou art cold and hungry after 
thy journey." Ellen thanked her, and allowed herself 
to be led into the house. Still she did not feel quite safe 
in that strange place, away from all her people. When 
Mrs. Ivens attempted to remove her bonnet, she said, 
" No, I thank you. I am not going to stop long." " Poor 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 193 

child ! " said the good Quaker mother, " I don't wonder 
thou art timid. But don't be afraid. Thou art among 
friends who would as soon sell their own daughters into 
Slavery as betray thee. We would not harm a hair of 
thy head for the world." The kindly face and the moth- 
erly tones melted the heart of the j)oor frightened fugi- 
tive, and the tears began to flow. They stayed several 
weeks in that hospitable house, and the son and daugh- 
ters took so much pains to teach them to read and write, 
that before they left they could spell a little, and write 
their names quite legibly. They were strongly urged to 
stay longer, and would have done so had they not been 
very desirous to be earning their own living. When 
they left this excellent family it seemed like parting with 
near and dear relatives. 

In Boston they were introduced to William Lloyd 
Garrison, Wendell Phillips, Francis Jackson, Rev. Theo- 
dore Parker, and other good men, who had for years 
been laboring for the emancipation of the slaves. The 
fugitives made a favorable impression on strangers at first 
sight. They both looked intelligent and honest. Wil- 
liam had a very manly air, and Ellen was modest and 
ladylike in her manners. 

Their marriage in Georgia had been, like other slave 
marriages, without a certificate ; therefore the}^ were de- 
sirous to have the ceremony performed again, with all 
the forms of hiw, now that they were in a free land. 
They were accordingly married by the Rev. Mr. Parker, 
at the house of a respectable colored citizen of Boston, 
named Lewis Hayden. Mr. Crafts was employed at his 
trade, and his wife obtained work as a seamstress. They 
lived in Boston two years, during which time they estab-' 
iished an excellent character by their honest industry and 

9 M 



194 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

correct deportment. They earned a comfortable living, 
and might have laid by some money if circumstances 
had permitted them to remain in Massachusetts. 

But in 1850 the Congress of the United States, under 
the influence of slaveholders, passed a very wicked act 
called the Fugitive Slave Bill. There was in Boston at 
that time a celebrated lawyer named Daniel Webster. 
He wanted to be President of the United States, and for 
many years no man had been able to get elected to that 
office unless he pleased the slaveholders. He accord- 
ingly used his great influence to help the passage of the 
bill, and advised the people of Massachusetts to get over 
their scruples about Imnting slaves. He died witliout being 
President ; and I hope God forgave the great sin into 
which his ambition led him. By that cruel act of Con- 
gress, everybody, all over the country, was required to 
send back fugitive slaves to their masters. Whoever 
concealed them or helped them in any way became 
liable to a year's imprisonment and a fine of a thousand 
dollars, besides paying the price of the slave. In all the 
Northern cities there were many honest, industrious col- 
ored people who had escaped from Slavery years before, 
and were now getting a comfortable living. Many of 
them had married at the North and reared families. 
But when, slaveholders gained this victory over the con- 
science of the North, they were compelled to leave their 
business and their homes, and hide themselves whereso- 
ever they could. Mr. and Mrs. Crafts had many zealous 
friends in Boston, but the friends of the slaveholders 
were more numerous. For some time past. Southerners 
had been rather reluctant to hunt slaves in Massa- 
•chusetts, because the public opinion of the people was 
so much opposed to Slavery, that they found it a difficult 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 195 

and disagreeable job. But after the passage of that un- 
righteous bill, they and their pro-slavery accomplices at 
the North became more bold. 

One day, while Mr. Crafts was busy in his shop, he 
received a visit from a man by the name of Knight, who 
used to work in the same shop with him in Georgia. 
He professed to be much pleased to see William again, 
and invited him to walk round the streets and show him 
the curiosities of Boston. Mr. Crafts told him he had 
work to do, and was very busy. The next day he tried 
again ; but finding Mr. Crafts still too busy to walk 
with him, he said : " I wish you would come to see me 
at the United States Hotel, and bring your wife with 
you. She would like to hear from her mother. If you 
want to send letters to Georgia, I will take them for 
you." This was followed by a badly spelled note to 
Mr. Crafts, informing him that he was going to leave 
Boston early the next morning, and if he wanted to send 
a letter to Georo;ia he must brings it to him at the hotel 
after tea. Mr. Crafts smiled that he should think him 
silly enough to walk into such an open trap. Mr. Knight 
had told him that he came to Boston alone ; but when he 
questioned the hotel-servant who brought the note, he 
was told that a Mr. Hughes from Georgia accompanied 
him. Mr. Hughes was a notorious slave-catcher, and the 
jailer of Macon. Mr. Crafts continued to work at his 
shop ; but he kept the door locked, and a loaded pistol 
beside him. 

Finding that his intended victim was too much on his 
guard to be caught by trickery, Mr. Hughes applied to 
the United States Court in Boston and obtained a war- 
rant to arrest William and Ellen Crafts as fugitive 
slaves. This produced tremendous excitement. The 



196 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Abolitionists were determined that thej should not be 
carried back into Slavery. They had people everywhere 
on the watch, and employed lawyers to throw all manner 
of difficulties in the way of the slave-hunters, whose per- 
sons and manners were described in the newspapers in a 
way by no means agreeable to them. The colored peo- 
ple held large meetings, and passed various spirited reso- 
lutions, among which was the following : " Resoloed, Man 
wills us slaves, but God wills us free. We will as God 
wills. God's will be done." Two hundred of them 
armed themselves and vowed that they would defend 
William and Ellen Crafts to the death. Mr. Crafts 
said very calmly, but very resolutely, that they should 
never take him alive. Hughes the slave-catcher swore : 
" I '11 have 'em if I stay in Boston to all eternity. If 
there a'n't men enough in Massachusetts to take 'em, I '11 
bring men from Georgia." Merchants in Boston, think- 
ing only of their trade with the South, sympathized with 
those men engaged in such a base calling ; and the 
United States officials did all they could to help them. 
But though they received countenance and aid from 
many influential men in Boston, those hirelings of 
Slavery could not help feeling ashamed of their business. 
They complained that the boys in the streets hooted after 
them, and that wherever they made their appearance, 
people called out, " There go the slave-hunters ! " They 
heard that the Abolitionists were preparing to arrest them 
and try them as kidnappers ; and the number of colored 
people who watched their movements with angry looks 
made them wi.-li themselves back in Georgia. During 
all this commotion, the conduct of Mr. Crafts excited 
universal admiration. He was resolute, but very calm. 
If there had been any law to protect him, he would have 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 197 

appealed to the law, rather than have harmed a hair of 
any man's head ; but left defenceless as he was among a 
pack of wolves hunting him and his innocent wife, he 
was determined to defend his freedom at any cost. 

Ellen was secretly conveyed out of the city. Mr. and 
Mrs. Ellis Gray Loring of Boston were excellent peo- 
ple, always kind to the poor and true friends to the op- 
pressed slaves. They spent their summers in the neigh- 
boring town of Brookline. A Boston physician, who 
was an Abolitionist, carried Ellen to their house in the 
evening. Mr. and Mrs. Loring were both absent from 
home for a few days, but a lady who was staying in the 
house received her with great kindness. She stayed 
there two days, assisting the lady very industriously and 
skilfully with her needle. Her mind was full of anxiety 
about her husband, whom she had left in the city ex- 
posed to the most fearful danger. She was very wakeful 
through the night, listening to every noise. As soon as 
she became drowsv, she would wake with a sudden start 
from some bad dream. She dreamed that she and Wil- 
liam were running from the Georgia slave-catcher, and 
that Daniel Webster was close behind them, pointing a 
pistol at them. It was a sad thing that a man of such 
intellectual ability as Mr. Webster, and with so much 
influence in society, should make such bad use of his 
great power that he haunted the dreams of the poor and 
the oppressed. Ellen rose in the morning with a feeling 
of weariness and a great load upon her heart. But she 
kept back the tears that were ready to flow, and was so 
quiet and sweet-tempered that she completely gained the 
hearts of her protectors. Early the next evening, the 
same friend who carried Ellen from the city brought her 
husband to her. He also had been sleepless, and was 



198 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

worn down with fatigue and anxiety. They were ad- 
vised to retire to rest immediately, to remain in their 
room with the door locked, and be careful not to show 
themselves at the window. They followed these direc- 
tions, and the lady was hoping they would both have 
peaceful and refreshing slumber, when Ellen came to say 
that her husband wanted to speak with her. She found 
him standing by the fireplace looking very sad, but with 
a dignified calmness that seemed to her truly noble in the 
midst of such dreadful danger. As she entered he said, 
" Ellen has just told me that Mr. and Mrs. Loring are 
absent from home. If we should be found in his house, 
he would be liable to imprisonment and a heavy fine. It 
is wrong for us to expose him to this danger without his 
knowled2;e and consent. We must seek shelter else- 
where." The lady replied : " Mr. Loring would feel 
troubled to have you leave his house under such cir- 
cumstances. He is the best and kindest of men, and 
a great friend of the colored people." " Tiiat makes it 
all the more wrong for us to brin"; him into trouble on 
our account, without his knowledge," replied Mr. Crafts. 
Ellen had kept up bravely all day, but now her courage 
began to fail. She looked up with tears swimming in 
her handsome eyes and said : " William, it is so dark 
and rainy to-night, and it seems so safe here ! We may 
be seen and followed, if we go out. You said you did n't 
sleep last night. I started up from a little nap, dreaming 
that Daniel Webster was chasing us with a loaded pistol. 
I thought of all manner of horrid things that might be 
happening to you, and I could n't sleep any more. Don't 
you think we might stay here just this one night?" He 
looked at her with pity in his eyes, but said, very firmly, 
"Ellen, it wouldn't be right." Without another word 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 199 

she prepared to go, though the tears were falling fast. 
The lady, finding his mind too fixed to be changed by her 
persuasions, sent a guide with them to the house of IMr. 
Philbrick, a worthy, kind-hearted gentleman, who lived 
about half a mile off. She herself told me the stoiy ; 
and she said she never felt so much respec t and admira- 
tion for any human beings as she did for those two 
hunted slaves when she saw them walk out into the 
darkness and rain because they thought it wrong to en- 
danger, without his consent, a friend of their persecuted 
people. She felt anxious lest the slave-catcher or his 
agents might seize them on the road, and it was a great 
relief to her mind when the guide returned and said Mr. 
Philbrick received them gladly. 

After a few more days of peril they were secretly put 
on board a vessel, which conveyed them to England. 
They carried letters which introduced them to good peo- 
ple, who contributed money to put them to school for a 
while. Their intelligence, industry, and good conduct 
confirmed the favorable impression made by their first 
appearance. In 1860, Mr. Crafts published a little book 
giving an account of their " Running a Thousand Miles 
for Freedom." They have now been living in England 
fifteen years. By their united industry and good mnu- 
agement they earned a comfortable living, and laid by 
a little, year after year, until they had enough to buy a 
small house in the village of Hammersmith, not far from 
the great city of London. There they keep their chil- 
dren at the best of schools, and pay taxes which help to 
support the poor in the country which protected them in 
their time of danger and distress. 

The honesty, energy, and good sense of Mr. Crafts in- 
spired so much respect and confidence in England, that 



200 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

the Quakers and other benevolent people, who wish to do 
good to Africa, also merchants, who want to open trade 
with that reo;ion, sent him out there with a valuable caro-o 
of goods, in November, 1862. The mission he is per- 
forming is very important to the well-being of the world, 
as you will see by the following explanation. 

Africa is four thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean 
from the United States. It is inhabited by numerous 
tribes of black people, each tribe with a separate govern- 
ment. These tribes vary in degrees of intelligence and 
civilization ; but they are generally of a peaceable and 
kindly disposition, unless greatly provoked by wrongs 
from others. Where they are safe from attack they live 
in little villages of huts, and raise yams, rice, and other 
grain for food. They weave coarse cloth from cotton, 
merely by means of sticks stuck in the ground, and in 
some places they color it with gay patterns. They make 
very pretty baskets and mats from grasses, and some of 
the tribes manufacture rude tools of iron and ornaments 
of gold. But a constant state of warfare has hindered 
the improvement of the Africans ; for men have very lit- 
tle encouragement to build good houses, and make conven- 
ient furniture, and plant grain, if enemies are likely to 
come any night and burn and trample it all to the ground. 
These continual wars have been largely caused by the 
slave-trade. Formerly the African chiefs sold men into 
Slavery only in punishment for some crime they had 
committed, or to work out a debt they had failed to pay, 
or because they were prisoners taken in war. These 
customs were barbarous enough, but they were not so 
bad as what they were afterward taught to do by nations 
calling themselves Christians. In various countries of 
Europe and America there were white people too proud 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 201 

and lazy to work, but desirous to dress in the best and 
live on the fat of the land. They sent ships out to Africa 
to bring them negroes, whom they compelled to work 
without wages, with coarse, scanty food, and scarcely 
any clothing. They grew rich on the labor of these 
poor creatures, and spent their own time in drinking, 
gambling, and horse-racing. Slave-traders, in order to 
supply them with as many negroes as they wanted, would 
steal all the men, women, and children they could catch 
on the coast of Africa ; and would buy others from the 
chiefs, paying them mostly in rum and gunpowder. This 
made the different tribes very desirous to go to war with 
each other, in order to take prisoners to sell to the slave- 
traders ; and the more rum they drank, the more full of 
fight they were. This mean and cruel business has been 
carried on by white men four hundred years ; and all that 
while African villages have been burned in the night, 
and harvests trampled, and men, wom.en, and children 
carried off to hopeless Slavery in distant lands. This 
continual violence, and intercourse with such bad white 
men as the slave-traders, kept the Africans barbarous ; 
and made them much more barbarous than they would 
otherwise have been. Such a state of things made it 
impossible for them to improve, as they would have done 
if the nations called Christians had sent them spelling- 
books and Bibles instead of rum, teachers instead of 
slave-traders, and tools and machinery instead of gun- 
powder. 

Of all the African chiefs the King of Dahomey is the 
most powerful. He sends armed men all about the coun- 
try to carry off people and sell them to Europeans and 
Americans. In that bad way he has grown richer than 
other chiefs, and more hard-hearted. Benevolent people 
9* 



202 THE FBEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

in England liave long desired to stop the ravages of the 
slave-trade and to teach the Africans better things. The 
dearth of cotton in the United States, occasioned by the 
Rebellion of the planters, turned the attention of English 
merchants in the same direction. It was accordingly- 
agreed to send Mr. Crafts to Dahomey to open a trade, 
and try to convince the king that it would be more profita- 
ble to him to employ men in raising cotton than to sell 
them for slaves. He was well received by the King of 
Dahomey, who shows a disposition to be influenced by 
his judicious counsels. This is a great satisfaction to Mr. 
Crafts, desirous as he is of elevating people of his own 
color. Numbers who were destined to be sold into foreign 
Slavery are already employed in raising cotton in their 
native land. Wars will become less frequent ; and the 
African tribes will gradually learn that the arts of peace 
are more profitable, as well as more pleasant. This will 
bring them into communication with a better class of 
white men ; and I hope that, before another hundred 
years have passed away, there will be Christian churches 
all over Africa, and school-houses for the children. 

Mr. Crafts sold all the goods he carried out in the first 
vessel, and managed the business so well that he was sent 
out with another cargo. He is now one of the most enter- 
prising and respected merchants in that part of the world; 
and his labors produce better results than mere money, 
for they are the means of making men wiser and better. 
How much would have been lost to himself and the world 
if he had remained a slave in Georgia, not allowed to 
profit by his own industry, and forbidden to improve his 
mind by learning to read ! 

Mr. M. D. Conway, the son of a slaveholder in Vir- 
ginia, but a very able and zealous friend of the colored 



WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFTS. 203 

people, recently visited England, and sent the following 
letter to Boston, where it was read with great interest by 
the numerous friends of William and Ellen Crafts : — 

" London, October 29th, 1864. 
"A walk one pleasant morning across a green com- 
mon, then through a quiet street of the village called 
Hammersmith, brought me to the house of an American 
whom I respect as much as any now in Europe ; namely, 
William Crafts, once a slave in Georgia, then a hunted 
fugitive in Massachusetts, but now a respected citizen 
of England, and the man who is doing more to redeem 
Africa from her cruel superstitions than all other forces 
put together. He lately came home from Dahomey, the 
ship-load of goods that he had taken out to Africa from 
Liverpool having been entirely sold. The merchants 
who sent him are preparing another cargo for him, and 
he will probably leave the country this week. His 
theory is, that commerce is to destroy the abominations 
in the realm of Dahomey. He is very black, but he 
finds the color which was so much against him in 
America a leading advantage to him in Africa. Ellen, 
his wife, told us that she was too white to go with him. 
He was absent on business in Liverpool, and thus, to my 
regret, I missed the opportunity of seeing him. There 
was a pretty little girl, and three unusually handsome 
boys. They all inherit the light complexion and beauty 
of their mother. We found Mrs. Crafts busy packing 
her husband's trunk for his next voyage. She showed 
us a number of interesting things which he had brought 
from Africa. Among them were birds of bright plumage, 
a belt worn by the Amazons in war, a sword made by 
the Africans, breastpins, and other excellent specimens 



204 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

of work in metals. I remembered that years ago the 
sight of similar things inspired Clarkson with his strong 
faith in the improvability of the African race. 

" William and Ellen Crafts own the house in which 
they live. After that brave flight of a thousand miles for 
freedom, after the dangers which surrounded them in 
Massachusetts, it did my heart good to see them enjoying 
their own simple but charming home, to see them thus 
living under their own vine and fig-tree, none daring to 
molest or make them afraid. 

" M. D. Conway." 

Mrs. Crafts has used her needle diligently to make 
garments for the colored people of the United States 
emancipated by President Lincoln's Proclamation. She 
has had the pleasure of hearing that her mother is among 
them, healthy, and still young looking for her years. As 
soon as arrangements can be made she will go to Eng- 
land to rejoin her daughter, whom she has not seen since 
her hazardous flight from Georgia. 

I think all who read this romantic but true story 
will agree with me in thinking that few white peo- 
ple have shown as much intelligence, moral worth, and 
refinement of feelinoj as the fu2;itive slaves William and 
Ellen Crafts. 



In February, 1861, the Emperor of Russia proclaimed free- 
dom to twenty-three millions of serfs. Finding their freedom 
was not secure in the. hands of their former masters, he after- 
ward completed the good work by investing the freodmen with 
civil and political riglits ; including the right to testify in court, 
the right to vote, and the right to hold office. 



SPRING. 205 



SPRING. 



BY GEORGE HORTON. 



HAIL, thou auspicious vernal dawn ! 
Ye birds, proclaim that winter 's gone ! 
Ye warbling minstrels, sing ! 
Pour forth your tribute as ye rise, 
And thus salute the fragrant skies, 
The pleasing smiles of spring ! 

Coo sweetly, O thou harmless dove. 
And bid thy mate no longer rove 

In cold hybernal vales ! 
Let music rise from every tongue, 
Whilst winter flies before the song 

Which floats on gentle gales. 

Ye frozen streams, dissolv^e and flow 
Along the valley sweet and slow ! 

Divested fields, be gay ! 
Ye drooping forests, bloom on high, 
And raise your branches to the sky ; 

And thus your charms display ! 

Thou world of heat ! thou vital source ! 
The torpid insects feel thy force, 

Which all with life supplies. 
Gardens and orchards richly bloom. 
And send a gale of sweet perfume. 

To invite them as they rise. 



206 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Near where the crystal waters glide 
The male of birds escorts his bride, 

And twitters on the spray ; 
He mounts upon his active wing, 
To hail the bounty of the spring, 

The lavish pomp of May. 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 



BY HARRIET JACOBS. 



I HAD a great treasure in my maternal grandmother, 
who was a remarkable woman in many respects. 
She was the daughter of a planter in South Carohna, 
who, at his death, left her and her mother free, with 
money to go to St. Augustine, where they had relatives. 
It was during the Revolutionary War, and they were 
captured on their passage, carried back, and sold to differ- 
ent purchasers. Such was the story my grandmother 
used to tell me. She was sold to the keeper of a large 
hotel, and I have often heard her tell how hard she fared 
during childhood. But as she grew older she evinced 
so much intelh'gence, and was so faithful, that her master 
and mistress could not help seeing it was for their inter- 
est to take care of such a valuable piece of property. 
She became an indispensable person in the household, 
officiating in all capacities, from cook and wet-nurse to 
seamstress. She was much praised for her cooking ; and 
her nice crackers became so famous in the neighborhood 
that many people were desirous of obtaining them. In 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 207 

consequence of numerous requests of this kind, she asked 
permission of her mistress to bake crackers at night, after 
all the household work was done ; and she obtained leave 
to do it, provided she would clothe herself and the chil- 
dren from the profits. Upon these terms, after working 
hard all day for her mistress, she began her midnight 
bakings, assisted by her two oldest children. The busi- 
ness proved profitable ; and each year she laid by a little, 
to create a fund for the purchase of her children. Her 
master died, and his property was divided among the 
heirs. My grandmother remained in the service of his 
widow, as a slave. Her children were divided among 
her master's children ; but as she had five, Benjamin, the 
youngest, was sold, in order that the heirs might have an 
equal portion of dollars and cents. There was so little 
difference in our ages, that he always seemed to me more 
like a brother than an uncle. He was a bright, hand- 
some lad, nearly white ; for he inherited the complexion 
my grandmother had derived from Anglo-Saxon ances- 
tors. His sale was a terrible blow to his mother; but 
she was naturally hopeful, and she went to work with 
redoubled energy, trusting in time to be able to purchase 
her children. One day, her mistress begged the loan of 
three hundred dollars from the little fund she had laid 
up from the proceeds of her baking. She promised to 
pay her soon ; but as no promise or writing given to a 
slave is legally binding, she was obliged to trust solely to 
her honor. 

In my master's house very little attention was paid 
to the slaves' meals. If they could catch a bit of food 
while it was going, well and good. But I gave myself 
no trouble on that score ; for on my various errands I 
passed my grandmother's house, and she always had 



208 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

something to spare for me. I was frequently threatened 
with punishment if I stopped there ; and my grandmother, 
to avoid detaining me, often stood at the gate with some- 
thing for my breakfast or dinner. I was indebted to her 
for all my comforts, spiritual or temporal. It was her 
labor that supplied my scanty wardrobe. I have a vivid 
recollection of the linsey-woolsey dress given me every 
winter by Mrs. Flint. How I hated it! It was one of 
the badges of Slavery. While my grandmother was thus 
helping to support me from her hard earnings, the three 
hundred dollars she lent her mistress was never repaid. 
When her mistress died, my master, who was her son-in- 
law, was appointed executor. When grandmother applied 
to him for payment, he said the estate was insolvent, and 
the law prohibited payment. It did not, however, pro- 
hibit him from retainins: the silver candelabra which 
had been purchased with that money. I presume they 
will be handed down in the family from generation 
to generation. 

My grandmother's mistress had always promised that 
at her death she should be free ; and it was said that in 
her will she made good the promise. But when the estate 
was settled. Dr. Flint told the faithful old servant that, 
under existing circumstances, it was necessary she should 
be sold. 

On the appointed day the customary advertisement 
was posted up, proclaiming that there would be " a public 
sale of negroes, horses, &c." Dr. Flint called to tell my 
grandmother that he was unwilling to wound her feelings 
by putting her up at auction, and that he would prefer 
to dispose of her at i)rivate sale. She saw through his 
hypocrisy, and understood very well that he was ashamed 
of the job. She was a very spirited woman ; and if he 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 209 

was base enough to sell her, after her mistress had made • 
her free by her will, she was determined the public should 
know it. She had, for a long time, supplied many fam- 
ilies with crackers and preserves ; consequently " Aunt 
Marthy," as she was called, was generally know^n ; and 
all who knew her respected her intelligence and good 
character. It w^as also well known that her mistress had 
intended to leave her free, as a reward for her long and 
faithful services. When the day of sale came, she took 
her place among the chattels, and at the first call she 
sprang upon the auction-block. She was then fifty years 
old. Many voices called out : " Shame ! shame ! "Who 's 
going to sell you, Aunt Marthy? Don't stand there. 
That 's no place for your She made no answer, but 
quietly awaited her fate. No one bid for her. At last 
a feeble voice said, " Fifty dollars." It came from a 
maiden lady, seventy years old, the sister of my grand- 
mother's deceased mistress. She had lived forty years 
under the same roof with my grandmother ; she knew 
how faithfully she had served her owners, and how cruelly 
she had been defrauded of her rights, and she resolved to 
protect her. The auctioneer waited for a higher bid ; but 
her wishes were respected ; no one bid above her. The 
old lady could neither read nor write ; and when the bill 
of sale was made out, she signed it with a cross. But of 
what consequence was that, when she had a big heart 
overflowing with human kindness ? She gave the faith- 
ful old servant her freedom. 

My grandmother had always been a mother to her 
orphan grandchildren, as far as that was possible in a 
condition of Slavery. Her perseverance and unwearied 
industry continued unabated after her time was her own, 
and she soon became mistress of a snug little home, and 

N 



210 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

surrounded herself with the necessaries of life. She would 
have been happy, if her family could have shared them 
with her. There remained to her but three children and 
two grandchildren ; and they were all slaves. Most ear- 
nestly did she strive to make us feel that it was the will of 
God ; that He had seen fit to place us under such circum- 
stances, and though it seemed hard, we ought to pray 
for contentment. It was a beautiful faith, coming from 
a mother who could not call her children her own. But 
I and Benjamin, her youngest boy, condemned it. It 
appeared to us that it was much more according to the 
will of God that we should be free, and able to make a 
home for ourselves, as she had done. There we always 
found balsam for our troubles. She was so loving, so 
sympathizing ! She always met us with a smile, and lis- 
tened with patience to all our sorrows. She spoke so 
hopefully, that unconsciously the clouds gave place to 
sunshine. There was a grand big oven there, too, that 
baked bread and nice things for the town ; and we knew 
there was always a choice bit in store for us. But even 
the charms of that old oven failed to reconcile us to our 
hard lot. Benjamin was now a tall, handsome lad, 
strongly and gracefully made, and with a spirit too bold 
and daring for a slave. 

One day his master attempted to flog him for not obey- 
ing his summons quickly enough. Benjamin resisted, and 
in the struggle threw his master down. To raise his hand 
against a white man was a great crime, according to the 
laws of the State ; and to avoid a cruel, public whip- 
ping, Benjamin hid himself and made his escape. My 
grandmother was absent, visiting an old friend in the 
country, when tliis happened. When she returned, and 
found her youngest child had fled, great was her sorrow. 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 211 

But, with characteristic piety, she said, " God's will be 
done." Every morning she inquired whether any news 
had been heard from her boy. Alas ! news did come, — 
sad news. The master received a letter, and was re- 
joicing over the caj^ture of his human chattel. 

That day seems to me but as yesterday, so well do I 
remember it. I saw him led through the streets in chains 
to jail. His face was ghastly pale, but full of determina- 
tion. He had sent some one to his mother's house to ask 
her not to come to meet him. He said the sight of her 
distress would take from him all self-control. Her heart 
yearned to see him, and she went ; but she screened her- 
self in the crowd, that it might be as her child had said. 

We were not allowed to visit him. But we had known 
the jailer for years, and he was a kind-hearted man. At 
midnight he opened the door for my grandmother and 
myself to enter, in disguise. When we entered the cell, 
not a sound broke the stillness. " Benjamin," whispered 
my grandmother. No answer. " Benjamin ! " said she, 
again, in a faltering tone. There was a jingling of chains. 
The moon had just risen, and cast an uncertain light 
through the bars. We knelt down and took Benjamin's 
cold hands in ours. Sobs alone were heard, while she 
wept upon his neck. At last Benjamin's lips were un- 
sealed. Mother and son talked together. He asked her 
pardon for the suffering he had caused her. She told 
him she had nothing to forgive ; that she could not blame 
him for wanting to be free. He told her that he broke 
away from his captors, and was about to throw himself 
into the river, but thoughts of her came over him and 
arrested the movement. She asked him if he did not 
also think of God. He replied : " No, mother, I did not. 
When a man is hunted like a wild beast, he forgets that 
there is a God." 



212 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

The pious mother shuddered, as she said : " Don't talk 
so, Benjamin. Try to be humble, and put your trust in 
God." 

" I wish I had some of your goodness," he replied. 
" You bear everything patiently, just as though you 
thouo^ht it was all rio;ht. I wish I could." 

She told him it had not always been so with her ; that 
once she was like him ; but when sore troubles came upon 
her, and she had no arm to lean upon, she learned to 
call on God, and he lightened her burdens. She be- 
sought him to do so likewise. 

The jailer came to tell us we had overstayed our time, 
and we were obliged to hurry away. Grandmother went 
to the master and tried to intercede for her son. But he 
was inexorable. He said Benjamin should be made an 
example of. That he should be kept in jail till he was 
sold. For three months he remained within the walls of 
the prison, during which time grandmother secretly con- 
veyed him changes of clothes, and as often as possible 
carried him something warm for supper, accompanied 
with some little luxury for her friend the jailer. He 
was finally sold to a slave-trader from New Orleans. 
When they fastened irons upon his wrists to drive him 
off with the coffle, it was heart-rending to hear the groans 
of that poor mother, as she clung to the Benjamin of her 
family, — her youngest, her pet. He was pale and thin 
now, from hardships and long confinement ; but still his 
good looks were so observable that the slave-trader re- 
marked he would give any price for the handsome lad, 
if he were a girl. We, who knew so well what Slavery 
was, were thankful that he was not. 

Grandmother stifled her grief, and with strong ai'ms 
and unwavering faith set to work to purchase freedom 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 213 

for Benjamin. She knew the slave-trader would charge 
three times as much as he gave for him ; but she was not 
discouraged. She employed a lawyer to write to New 
Orleans, and try to negotiate the business for her. But 
word came that Benjamin was missing ; he had run away 
again. 

Philip, my grandmother's only remaining son, inherited 
his mother's intelligence. His mistress sometimes trusted 
him to go with a cargo to New York. One of these occa- 
sions occurred not long after Benjamin's second escape. 
Through God's good providence the brothers met in the 
streets of New York. It was a happy meeting, though 
Benjamin was very pale and thin ; for on his way from 
bondage he had been taken violently ill, and brought nigh 
unto death. Eagerly he embraced his brother, exclaim- 
ing : " O Phil ! here I am at last. I came nigh dying 
when I was almost in sight of freedom ; and O how I 
prayed that I might live just to get one breath of free 
air ! And here I am. In the old jail, I used to wish I 
was dead. But life is worth something now, and it would 
be hard to die." He begged his brother not to go back 
to the South, but to stay and work with him till they 
earned enough to buy their relatives. 

Philip replied: "It would kill mother if I deserted her 
She has pledged her house, and is working harder than 
ever to buy you. Will you be bought ? " 

" Never ! " replied Benjamin, in his resolute tone. 
" When I have got so far out of their clutches, do you 
suppose, Phil, that I would ever let them be paid one 
red cent ? Do you think I would consent to have mother 
turned out of her hard-earned home in her old age ? And 
she never to see me after she had bought me ? For you 
know, Phil, she would never leave the South while any 



214 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

of her children or grandchildren remained in Slavery. 
What a good mother ! Tell her to buy you, Phil. You 
have always been a comfort to her ; and I have always 
been making her trouble." 

Philip furnished his brother with some clothes, and 
gave him what money he had. Benjamin pressed his 
hand, and said, with moistened eyes, " I part from all my 
kindred." And so it proved. We never heard from him 
afterwards. 

When Uncle Philip came home, the first words he said, 
on entering the house, were : " mother, Ben is free ! 
I have seen him in New York." For a moment she 
seemed bewildered. He laid his hand gently on her 
shoulder and repeated what he had said. She raised 
her hands devoutly, and exclaimed, " God be praised ! 
Let us thank Him." She dropped on her knees and 
poured forth her heart in prayer. When she grew calmer, 
she begged Philip to sit down and repeat every word her 
son had said. He told her all, except that Benjamin had 
nearly died on the way and was looking very pale and 
thin. 

Still the brave old woman toiled on to accomplish the 
rescue of her remaining children. After a while she 
succeeded in buying Philip, for whom she paid eight 
hundred dollars, and came home with the precious docu- 
ment that secured his freedom. The happy mother and 
son sat by her hearthstone that night, telling how proud 
they were of each other, and how they would prove to 
the world that they could take care of themselves, as they 
had long taken care of others. We all concluded by say- 
ing, " He that is willing to be a slave, let him be a slave." 

My grandmother had still one daughter remaining in 
Slavery. She belonged to the same master that I did ; 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 215 

and a hard time she had of it. She was a good soul, this 
old Aunt Nancy. She did all she could to supply the 
place of my lost mother to us orphans. She was the 
factotum in our master's household. She was house- 
keeper, waiting-maid, and everything else : nothing went 
on well without her, by day or by night. She wore her- 
self out in their service. Grandmother toiled on, hoping 
to purchase release for her. But one evening word was 
brought that she had been suddenly attacked with paraly- 
sis, and grandmother hastened to her bedside. Mother 
and daughter had always been devotedly attached to 
each other ; and now they looked lovingly and earnestly 
into each other's eyes, longing to speak of secrets that 
weighed on the hearts of both. She lived but two days, 
and on the last day she was speechless. It was sad to 
witness the grief of her bereaved mother. She had 
always been strong to bear, and religious faith still sup- 
ported her ; but her dark life had become still darker, 
and age and trouble were leaving deep traces on her 
withered face. The poor old back was fitted to its bur- 
den. It bent under it, but did not break. 

Uncle Philip asked permission to bury his sister at his 
own expense ; and slaveholders are always ready to 
grant such favors to slaves and their relatives. The 
arrangements were very plain, but perfectly respectable. 
It was talked of by the slaves as a mighty grand funeral. 
If Northern travellers had been passing through the 
place, perhaps they would have described it as a beauti- 
ful tribute to the humble dead, a touching proof of the 
attachment between slaveholders and their slaves ; and 
very likely the mistress would have confirmed this im- 
pression, with her handkerchief at her eyes. We could 
have told them how the poor old mother had toiled, year 



216 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

after year, to buy her son Philip's right to his own earn- 
ings ; and how that same Phihp had paid the expenses 
of the funeral which they regarded as doing so much 
credit to the master. 

There were some redeeming features in our hard des- 
tiny. Very pleasant are my recollections of the good 
old lady who paid fifty dollars for the purpose of making 
my grandmother free, when she stood on the auction- 
block. She loved this old lady, whom we all called 
Miss Fanny. She often took tea at grandmother's 
house. On such occasions, the table was spread with a 
snow-white cloth, and the china cups and silver spoons 
were taken from the old-fashioned buffet. There were 
hot muffins, tea-rusks, and delicious sweetmeats. My 
grandmother always had a supply of such articles, be- 
cause she furnished the ladies of the town with such 
things for their parties. She kept two cows for that 
purpose, and the fresh cream was Miss Fanny's delight. 
She invariably repeated that it was the very best in 
town. Tlie old ladies had cosey times together. They 
would work and chat, and sometimes, while talking over 
old times, their spectacles would get dim with tears, and 
would have to be taken off and wiped. When Miss 
Fanny bade us " Good by," her bag was always filled 
with grandmother's best cakes, and she was urged, to 
come asfain soon. 

[Here follows a long account of persecutions endured 
by the granddaughter, who tells this story. She finally 
made her escape, after encountering great dangers and 
hardships. The faithful old grandmother concealed her 
for a long time at great risk to them both, during which 
time she tried in vain to buy free pa^^ers for her. At 
last there came a chance to escape in a vessel Northward 
bound. She goes on to say : — ] 



THE GOOD GRANDMOTHER. 217 

" All arrangements were made for me to go on board at 
dusk. Grandmother came to me with a small bag of 
money, which she wanted me to take. I begged her to 
keep at least part of it ; but she insisted, while her tears 
fell fast, that I should take the whole. ' You may be 
sick among strangers,' said she; 'and they would send 
you to the poor-house to die.' Ah, that good grand- 
mother ! Though I had the blessed prospect of freedom 
before me, I felt dreadfully sad at leaving forever that 
old homestead, that had received and sheltered me in so 
many sorrows. Grandmother took me by the hand and 
said, ' My child, let us pray.' We knelt down together, 
with my arm clasped round the faithful, loving old 
friend I was about to leave forever. On no other oc- 
casion has it been my lot to listen to so fervent a suppli- 
cation for mercy and protection. It thrilled through my 
heart and inspired me with trust in God. I staggered 
into the street, faint in body, though strong of purpose. 
I did not look back upon the dear old place, though I 
felt that I should never see it again." 

[The granddaughter found friends at the North, and, 
being uncommonly quick in her perceptions, she soon did 
much to supply the deficiencies of early education. 
While leading a worthy, industrious life in New^York, 
she twice very narrowly escaped becoming a victim to 
the infamous Fugitive Slave Law. A noble-hearted 
lady purchased her freedom, and thereby rescued her 
from further danger. She thus closes the story of her 
venerable ancestor : — ] 

" My grandmother lived to rejoice in the knowledge of 

my freedom ; but not long afterward a letter came to me 

with a black seal. It was from a friend at the South, 

who informed me that she had gone ' where the wicked 

la 



218 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest.' 
Among the gloomy recollections of my life in bondage 
come tender memories of that good grandmother, like a 
few fleecy clouds floating over a dark and troubled sea." 

H. J. 

Note. — The above account is no fiction. The author, 
who was thirty years in Slavery, wrote it in an interest- 
ing book entitled " Linda." She is an esteemed friend 
of mine; and I introduce this portion of her story here 
to illustrate the power of character over circumstances. 
She has intense sympathy for those who are still suffer- 
ing in the bondage from which she escaped. She has 
devoted all her energies to the poor refugees in our 
camps, comforting the afflicted, nursing the sick, and 
teaching the children. On the 1st of January, 1863, 
she wrote me a letter, which began as follows : " I have 
lived to hear the Proclamation of Freedom for my suffer- 
ing people. All my wrongs are forgiven. I am more 
than repaid for all I have endured. Glory to God in 



the highest ! " 



L. M. Child. 



"THEY CANNOT TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES." 

Our tobacco they plant, and our cotton they pick, 

And our rice they can harvest and thrash ; 
They feed us in health, and they nurse us when sick, 

And they earn — while we pocket — our cash. 
They lead us when young, and they help us when old. 

And their toil loads our tables and shelves ; 
But they 're " niggers " ; and therefore (the truth must be told) 

They cannot take care of themselves. 

Rev. John Pierpont. 



THE COLORED MOTHER'S PRAYER. 219 



THE COLORED MOTHER'S PRAYER. 

GREAT Father ! who created all, 
The colored and the fair, 
O listen to a mother's call ; 

Hear Thou the negro's prayer ! 

Yet once again thy people teach, 

With lessons from above, 
That they may practise what they preachy 

And all their neighbors love. 

Again the Gospel precepts give ; 

Teach them this rule to know, — 
Such treatment as ye should receive, 

Be willing to bestow. 

Then my poor child, my darling one, 

Will never feel the smart 
Of their unjust and cruel scorn, 

That withers all the heart. 

Great Father ! who created all. 

The colored and the fair, 
listen to a mother's call ; 

Hear Thou the negro's prayer ! 



220 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



WILLIAM COSTIN. 

MR. WILLIAM COSTIN was for tweiitj-four 
years porter of a bank in Washington, D. C. 
Many millions of dollars passed through his hands, but not 
a cent was ever missing, through fraud or carelessness. In 
his daily life he set an example of purity and benevolence. 
He adopted four orphan children into his family, and 
treated them with the kindness of a father. His character 
inspired general respect ; and when he died, in 1842, the 
newspapers of the city made honorable mention of him'. 
The directors of the bank passed a resolution expressive 
of their high appreciation of his services, and his coffin 
was followed to the grave by a very large procession of 
citizens of all classes and complexions. Not long after, 
when the Honorable John Quincy Adams was speaking 
in Congress on the subject of voting, he said : " The 
late William Costin, though he was not white, was as 
much respected as any man in the District ; and the large 
concourse of citizens that attended his remains to the 
grave — as well white as black — was an evidence of the 
manner in which he was estimated by the citizens of 
Washington. Now, why should such a man as that be 
excluded from the elective franchise, when you admit the 
vilest individuals of the white race to exercise it ? " 



Strain every nerve, wrestle with every power God and 
nature have put into your hands, for your place among the 
races of this Western world. — Wendell Phillips. 



EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 221 



EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



PEOPLE of all colors and conditions love their off- 
spring; but very few consider sufficiently how 
much the future character and happiness of their chil- 
dren depend on their own daily language and habits. It 
does very little good to teach children to be honest if the 
person who teaches them is not scrupulous about taking 
other people's property or using it without leave. It 
does very little good to tell them they ought to be 
modest, if they are accustomed to hear their elders use 
unclean words or tell indecent stories. Primers and 
catechisms may teach them to reverence God, but the 
lesson will lose half its effect if they habitually hear their 
parents curse and swear. Some two hundred years ago 
a very learned astronomer named Sir Isaac Newton 
lived in England. He was so devout that he always 
took off his hat when the name of God was mentioned. 
By that act of reverence he taught a religious lesson to 
every child who witnessed it. Young souls are fed by 
what they see and hear, just as their bodies are fed with 
daily food. No parents who knew what they were doing 
would give their little ones poisonous food, that would 
produce fevers, ulcers, and death. It is of far more 
consequence not to poison their souls ; for the body 
passes away, but the soul is immortal. 

When a traveller pointed to a stunted and crooked 
tree and asked what made it grow so, a child replied, 



222 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

" I suppose somebody trod on it when it was little." It 
is hard for children born in Slavery to grow up spiritu- 
ally straight and healthy, because they are trodden on 
when they are little. Being constantly treated unjustly, 
they cannot learn to be just. Their parents have no 
power to protect them from evil influences. They can- 
not prevent their continually seeing cruel and indecent 
actions, and hearing profane and dirty words. Hereto- 
fore, you could not educate your children, either morally 
or intellectually. But now that you are freemen, re- 
sponsibility rests upon you. You will be answerable 
before God for the influence you exert over the young 
souls intrusted to your care. You may be too ignorant 
to teach them much of book-learning, and you may be too 
poor to spend much money for their education, but you 
can set them a pure and good example by your conduct 
and conversation. This you should try your utmost to 
do, and should pray to the Heavenly Father to help you ; 
for it is a very solemn duty, this rearing of young souls 
for eternity. That you yourselves have had a stunted 
growth, from being trodden upon when you were little, 
will doubtless make you more careful not to tread upon 
them. 

It is necessary that children should be made obedient 
to their elders, because they are not old enough to know 
what is good for themselves ; but obedience should always 
be obtained by the gentlest means possible. Violence 
excites anger and hatred, without doing any good to 
counterbalance the evil. When it is necessary to punish 
a child, it should be done in such a calm and reasonable 
manner as to convince him that you do it for his good, 
and not because you are in a rage. 

Slaves, all the world over, are generally much addicted 



EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 223 

to lying- The reason is, that if they have done any mis- 
chief by carelessness or accident, tliey dare not tell the 
truth about it for fear of a cruel flogging. Violent and 
tyrannical treatment always produces that effect. Wher- 
ever children are abused, whether they are white or 
black, they become very cunning and deceitful ; for when 
the weak are tortured by the strong, they have no other 
way to save themselves from suffering. Such treatment 
does not cure faults ; it only makes people lie to conceal 
their faults. If a child does anything wrong, and confesses 
it frankly, his punishment ought to be slight, in order to 
encourasre him in habits of truthfulness, which is one of 
the noblest attributes of manhood. If he commits the 
same fault a second time, even if he confesses it, he 
ought not to be let off so easily, because it is necessary 
to teach him that confession, though a very good thing, 
will not supply the place of repentance. When children 
are naughty, it is better to deprive them of some pleas- 
ant thing that they want to eat or drink or do, than it is 
to kick and cuff them. It is better to attract them 
toward what is right than to drive them from what is 
wrong. Thus if a boy is lazy, it is wiser to promise him 
reward in proportion to his industry, than it is to cuff 
and scold him, which will only make him shirk work as 
soon as you are out of sight. Whereas, if you tell him, 
" You shall have six cents if you dig one bushel of 
potatoes, and six cents more if you dig two," he wdll 
have a motive that will stimulate him when you are not 
looking after him. If he is too lazy to be stimulated by 
such offers, he must be told that he who digs no potatoes 
must have none to eat. 

The moral education which you are all the time giving 
your children, by what they hear you say and see you do, 



224 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

is of more consequence to them than reading and writing 
and ciphering. But the education they get at school is 
also very important ; and it will be wise and kind in you 
to buy such books as they need, and encourage them in 
every way to become good scholars, as well as good men. 
By so doing you will not only benefit them, but you will 
help all your race. Every colored man or woman who 
is virtuous and intelligent takes away something of preju- 
dice against colored men and women in general ; and 
it likewise encourages all their brethren and sisters, by 
showing what colored people are capable of doing. 

The system of Slavery was all penalty and no attrac- 
tion ; in other words, it punished men if they did 7iot do, 
but it did not reward them for doing. In the manage- 
ment of your children you should do exactly the opposite 
of this. You should appeal to their manhood, not to their 
fears. After emancipation in the West Indies, planters 
who had been violent slaveholders, if they saw a freed- 
man leaning on his hoe, would say, " Work, you black 
rascal, or I '11 flog you " ; and the freedman would lean 
all the longer on his hoe. Planters of a more wise and 
moderate character, if they saw the emancipated laborers 
idling away their time, would say, " We expect better 
things of free men " ; and that appeal to their manhood 
made the hoes fly fast. 

Old men and women have been treated with neglect 
and contempt in Slavery, because they were no longer 
able to work for the profit of their masters. But respect 
and tenderness are peculiarly due to the aged. They 
have done much and suffered much. They are no longer 
able to help themselves ; and we should help them, as 
they helped us in the feebleness of our infancy, and as 
we may again need to be helped in the feebleness of age» 



EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 225 

Any want of kindness or civility toward the old ought 
to be very seriously rebuked in children ; and affectionate 
attentions should be spoken of as praiseworthy. 

Slavery in every way fosters violence. Slave-children, 
being in the habit of seeing a great deal of beating, early 
form the habit of kicking and banging each other when 
they are angry, and of abusing poor helpless animals 
intrusted to their care. On all such occasions parents 
should say to them : " Those are the ways of Slavery. 
We expect better things of free children." 



AN HONORABLE RECORD. 

In 1837 the colored population in Philadelphia numbered 
eighteen thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight. Many of 
them were poor and ignorant, and some of them were vicious ; 
as would be the case with any people under such discourag- 
ing influences. But, notwithstanding they were excluded by 
prejudice from all the most profitable branches of industry, 
they had acquired property valued at one million three hun- 
dred and fifly thousand dollars ; five hundred and fifty thou- 
sand was in real estate, and eight hundred thousand was 
personal property. They had built sixteen churches, valued 
at one hundred and fourteen thousand dollars, for the support 
of which they annually paid over six thousand dollars. The 
pauper tax they paid was more than enough to support all the 
colored paupers in the city. They had eighty benevolent 
societies, and during that year they had expended fourteen 
thousand one hundred and seventy-two dollars for the relief 
of the sick and the helpless. A number of them who had 
been slaves had paid, in the course of that year, seventy thou- 
sand seven hundred and thirty-three dollars to purchase theJu* 
own freedom, or that of their relatives. 

10* o 



226 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



THANK GOD FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 

BY FKANCES E. W. HARPER. 

'^HANK God for little children ! 

i Bright flowers by earth's wayside, — 
The dancing, joyous life-boats 
Upon life's stormy tide. 

Thank God for little children ! 

When our skies are cold and gray, 
They come as sunshine to our hearts, 

And charm our cares away. 

I almost think the angels. 

Who tend life's garden fair, 
Drop down the sweet wild blossoms 

That bloom around us here. 

It seems a breath of heaven 

" Round many a cradle lies," 
And every little baby 

Brings a message from the skies. 

The humblest home, with children. 

Is rich in .precious gems ; 
Better than wealth of monarchs, 

Or golden diadems. 

Dear mothers, guard these jewels 

As sacred offerings meet, — 
A wealth of household treasures, 

To lay at Jesus' feet. 



SAM AND ANDY. 227 



SAM AND ANDY. 



BY HAERIET BEECHER STOWE. 



A BEAUTIFUL slave in Kentucky, named Eliza, 
had a very handsome little boy. One day she over- 
heard her master makins; a bargain with a slave-trader 
by the name of Haley to sell them both. She made her 
escape that night, taking her child with her. Her mis- 
tress, who was much attached to her, and did not want 
to have her sold, was glad when she heard that Eliza 
was gone ; but her master, who was afraid the trader 
would think he had helped her off after he had taken 
the money for her, ordered the horses Bill and Jerry to 
be brought, and two of his slaves, called Sam and Andy, 
to go with the slave-trader in pursuit of the fugitive. The 
way they contrived how not to overtake Eliza is thus told 
in " Uncle Tom's Cabin " : — 

" ' Sam ! Halloo, Sam ! ' said Andy. ' Mas'r wants you 
to cotch Bill and Jerry.' 

" ' High ! what 's afoot now ? ' said Sam. 

" ' Why I s'pose you don't know that Lizy 's cut stick, 
and clared out, with her young un ? ' 

" ' You teach your granny ! ' replied Sam, with infinite 
contempt ; ' knowed it a heap sooner than you did. This 
nigger a'n't so green, now.* 

" ' Wal, anyhow, Mas'r wants Bill and Jerry geared 
right up ; and you and I 's to go with Mas'r Haley, to look 
arter her,' said Andy. 

"Sam, who had just been contriving how he could make 



228 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

himself of importance on the plantation, exclaimed : ' Good, 
now ! dat's de time o' day! It's Sam dat's called for in 
dese yere times. He 's de nigger. Mas'r '11 see what 
Sam can do ! ' 

" * Ah, you 'd better think twice/ said Andy ; ' for Missis 
don't want her cotched, and she '11 be in yer wool.' 

" ' High ! how you know dat ? ' said Sam, opening his 
eyes. 

" ' Heard her say so, my own self, dis blessed mornin', 
when I bring in Mas'r's shaving-water. She sent me to 
see why Lizy did n't come to dress her ; and when I 
telled her she was off, she jes ris up, and ses she, " The 
Lord be praised ! " Mas'r he seemed rael mad ; and ses 
he, " Wife, you talk like a fool." But, Lor ! she '11 bring 
him' to. I knows well enough how that '11 be. It 's allers 
best to stand Missis's side the fence, now I tell yer,' said 
Andy. 

" Sam scratched his woolly pate, and gave a hitch to 
his pantaloons, as he had a habit of doing when his mind 
was perplexed. ' Der a'n't never no sayin' 'bout no kind 
o' thing in dis yere world,' said he at last. ' Now I 'd a 
said sartin that Missis would a scoured the varsal world 
after Lizy.' 

" ' So she would,' said Andy ; ' but can't ye see through 
a ladder, ye black nigger? Missis don't want dis yer 
Mas'r Haley to get Lizy's boy ; dat 's de go. And I 
'specs you 'd better be making tracks for dem bosses, — 
mighty sudden too, — for I hearn Missis 'quirin' arter 
yer ; so you 've stood foolin' long enough.' 

" Sam, upon this, began to bestir himself in earnest, 
and after a while appeared, bearing down gloriously to- 
wards the house, with Bill and Jerry in a full canter. 
Adroitly throwing himself off before they had any idea 



SAM AND ANDY. 229 

of stopping, he brought them up alongside the horse-post 
like a tornado. Haley's horse, which was a skittish young 
colt, winced and bounced, and pulled hard at his halter. 

" ' Ho ! ho ! ' said Sam, ' skeery, ar ye ? ' and his black 
face lighted up with a curious, mischievous gleam. ' 1 '11 
fix ye now,' said he. 

" There was a large beech-tree overshadowino- the 
place, and the small, sharp, triangular beech-nuts lay 
scattered thickly on the ground. Sam stroked and patted 
the colt, and while pretending to adjust the saddle, he 
slipped under it a sharp little nut, in such a manner that 
the least weight brought upon the saddle would annoy the 
nervous animal, without leavmg any perceptible wound. 

" ' Dar, me fix 'em,' said he, rolling his eyes with an 
approving grin. 

" At this moment Mrs. Shelby appeared on the balcony 
and beckoned to him. ' Why have you been loitering so, 
Sam ? ' said she. ' I sent Andy to tell you to hurry.' 

" * Bress you, Missis, bosses won't be cotched all in a 
minit. They done clared out down to the south pasture, 
and everywhar,' said Sam. 

" ' Well, Sam,' replied his mistress, ' you are to go with 
Mr. Haley to show him the road, and help him. Be care- 
ful of the horses, Sam. You know Jerry was a little lame 
last week. DonH ride them too fast J She spoke the last 
words in a low voice, and with strong emphasis. 

" ' Let dis chile alone for dat,' said Sam, rolling up his 
eyes with a look full of meaning. * Yes, Missis, I '11 look 
out for de bosses.' 

" Sam returned to his stand under the beech-tree, and 
said to Andy, ' Now, Andy, I would n't be 't all surprised 
if dat ar gen'lman's crittur should gib a fling, by and by, 
when he comes to be a gettin' up. You know, Andy, 



230 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

critturs will do such thiegs ' ; and Sam poked Andy in 
the side, in a highly suggestive manner. 

" ' High ! ' exclaimed Andy, with an air that showed he 
understood instantly. 

"'Yes, you see, Andy, Missis wants to make time,' 
said Sam ; ' dat ar 's cl'ar to der most or'nary 'bserver. 
I jis make a little for her. Now, you see, get all dese 
yere hosses loose, caperin' permiscus round dis yere lot, 
and down to de wood dar, and I 'spec Mas'r won't be off 
in a hurry. 

"Andy grinned. 

" ' You see, Andy,' said Sam, ' if any such thing should 
happen as that Mas'r Haley's hoss should begin to act 
contrary, and cut up, you and I jist lets go of our'n to 
help him ! O yes, we '11 help him ! ' And Sam and Andy 
laid their heads back on their shoulders, and broke into 
a low, immoderate laugh, snapping their fingers, and 
flourishing their heels with exquisite delight. 

"While they were enjoying themselves in this style, 
Haley appeared on the verandah. Some cups of very 
good coffee had somewhat mollified him, and he came out 
smiling and talking in tolerably restored humor. Sam 
and Andy clawed for their torn hats, and flew to the 
horse-posts to be ready to ' help Mas'r.' The brim of 
Sam's hat was all unbraided, and the slivers of the palm- 
leaf started apart in every direction, giving it a blazing 
air of freedom and defiance. The brim had gone entirely 
from Andy's hat ; but he thumped the crown on his head, 
and looked about well pleased, as if to ask, ' Who says I 
have n't got a hat ? ' 

" ' Well, boys,' said Haley, ' be alive now. We must 
lose no time. ' 

" ' Not a bit of him, Mas'r,' said Sam, putting Haley's 



SAM AND ANDY. 231 

rein into his hand and holding his stirrup, while Andy 
was untying the other two horses. 

" The instant Haley touched the saddle the mettlesome 
creature bounded from the earth with a sudden spring, 
that threw his master sprawling some feet off, on the dry, 
soft turf With frantic ejaculations Sam made a dive at 
the reins, but only succeeded in brushing the torn slivers 
of his hat into the horse's eyes, which by no means tended 
to allay the confusion of his nerves. With two or three 
contemptuous snorts he upset Sam, flourished his heels 
vigorously in the air, and pranced away toward the lower 
end of the lawn. He was followed by Bill and Jerry, 
whom Andy had not failed to let loose, according to con- 
tract, speeding them off with various direful cries. And 
now there was a scene of great confusion. Sam and 
Andy ran and shouted ; dogs ran barking here and there ; 
Mike, Mose, Mandy, Fanny, and all the smaller speci- 
mens on the place, raced, whooped, shouted, and clapped 
their hands with outrageous zeal. Haley's fleet horse 
entered into the spirit of the scene with great gusto. He 
raced round the lawn, which was half a mile in extent, 
and seemed to take a mischievous delight in letting his 
pursuers come within a hand's breadth of him, and then 
whisking off again with a start and a snort. 

" Sam's torn hat was seen everywhere. If there seemed 
to be the least chance that a horse could be caught, down 
he bore upon him full tilt, shouting, ' Now for it ! Cotch 
him ! cotch him!' in. a way that set them all to racing 
asfain. 

" Haley ran up and down, stamped, cursed, and swore. 
The master in vain tried to give some directions from the 
balcony, and the mistress looked from her chamber win- 
dow and laughed. She had some suspicion that Sam 
was the cause of all this confusion. 



232 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

" At last, about twelve o'clock, Sam appeared, mounted 
on Jerry, leading Haley's horse, reeking with sweat, but 
with flashing eyes and dilated nostrils, showing that the 
spirit of freedom had not yet entirely subsided. 

" ' He 's cotched ! ' exclaimed Sam, triumphantly. ' If 
it had n't been for me they might a bust themselves, all 
on 'em ; but I cotched him.' 

" ' Tou I ' growled Haley. ' If it had n't been for ^om, 
this never would have happened.' 

" ' Bress us, Mas'r ! ' exclaimed Sam ; * when it 's me 
that 's been a racin' and chasin' till the swet jist pours off 
me.' 

" ' "Well, well ! ' said Haley, * you 've lost me near three 
hours with your cursed nonsense. Now let 's be off, and 
have no more fooling.' 

" ' Why, Mas'r,' said Sam, in a deprecating tone, ' I do 
believe you mean to kill us all clar, — bosses and all. 
Here we are all jist ready to drop down, and the critturs 
all in a reek o' sweat. Sure Mas'r won't think of startin' 
now till arter dinner. Mas'r's hoss wants rubben down. 
See how he 's splashed hisself! — and Jerry limps, too. 
Don't think Missis would be willing to have us start dis 
yere way, no how. Bress you, Mas'r, we can ketch up, 
if we stop. Lizy nebber was no great of a walker.' 

" The mistress, who, greatly to her amusement, over- 
heard this conversation from the verandah, now came 
forward and courteously urged Mr. Haley to stay to din- 
ner, saying that the cook should bring it on the table 
immediately. All things considered, the slave-trader con- 
cluded it was best to do so. As he moved toward the 
parlor, Sam rolled his eyes after him with unutterable 
meaning, and gravely led the horses to the stable. 

'• When he had fairly got beyond the shelter of the 



SAM AND ANDY. 233 

burn, and fastened the horse to a post, he exclaimed, 
' Did you see him, Andy ? Did yer see him ? O Lor', 
if it war n't as good as a meetin', now, to see him a dancin' 
and a kickin', and swarin' at us ! Did n't I hear him ? 
Swar away, ole fellow ! says I to myself. Will you have 
yer hoss now, or wait till you cotch him ? says L' And 
Sam and Andy leaned up against the barn, and laughed 
to their hearts' content. 

" ' Yer oughter seen how mad he looked when I brought 
the hoss up. Lor', he 'd a killed me if he durs' to ; and 
there I was a standin' as innercent and humble.' 

"'Lor', I seed you,' said Andy. 'A'n't you an old 
hoss, Sam ? ' 

" ' Rather 'specs I am,' said Sam. ' Did you see Mis- 
sus up stars at the winder ? I seed her laughin'.' 

" ' I 'm sure I was racin' so I did n't see nothin,' said 
Andy. 

" ' Wal, yer see, I 'se 'quired a habit o' bol^servation,' 
said Sam. 'It's a very 'portant habit, Andy; and I 
'commend yer to be cultivatin' it, now yer young. Bob- 
servation makes all de difference in niggers. Did n't I 
see what Missis wanted, though she never let on ? Dat 
ar 's bobservation, Andy. I 'specs it 's what yer may 
call a faculty. Faculties is different in different peoples ; 
but cultivation of 'em goes a great way.' 

" ' I guess if I had n't helped your bobservation dis 
mornin', yer would n't have seen yer way so smart,' said 
Andy. 

" ' You 's a promisin' chile, Andy, der a'n't no manner 
o' doubt,' said Sam. ' I think lots of yer, Andy ; and I 
don't feel no ways ashamed to take idees from yer. 
Let 's go up to the house now, Andy. I '11 be boun' 
Missis '11 give us an uncommon good bite dis yere 
time.'" 



234 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

" The mistress had promised that dinner should be 
brought on the table in a hurry, and she had given the 
orders in Haley's hearing. But the servants all seemed 
to have an impression that Missis would not be dis- 
obliged by delay. Aunt Chloe, the cook, went on with 
her operations in a very leisurely manner. Then it was 
wonderful what a number of accidents happened. One 
upset the butter; another tumbled down with the water, 
and had to go to the spring for more ; another spilled the 
gravy ; then Aunt Chloe set about making new gravy, 
watching it and stirring it with the greatest precision. 
If reminded that the orders were to hurry, she answered 
shortly that she ' war n't a going to have raw gravy on 
the table, to help nobody's catchin's.' 

" From time to time there was giggling in the kitchen, 
when news was brought that ' Mas'r Haley was mighty 
oneasy, and that he could n't set in his cheer no ways, but 
was a walkin' and stalkin' to the winders and through 
the porch.' 

" ' Sarves him right ! ' said Aunt Chloe. ' He '11 git 
wus nor oneasy, one of these days, if he don't mend his 
ways.' 

" At last the dinner was sent in, and the mistress 
smiled and chatted, and did all she could to make the 
time pass imperceptibly. 

" At two o'clock, Sam and Andy brought the horses 
up to the posts, apparently greatly refreshed and invigo- 
rated by the scamper of the morning. As Haley pre- 
pared to mount, he said, ' Your master don't keep no 
dogs, I s'pose ? ' 

"'Heaps on 'em,' said Sam, triumphantly. 'Thar's 
Bruno, — he 's a roarer ; and besides that, 'bout every 
nigger of us keeps a pup o' some natur' or uther.' 



SAM AND ANDY. 235 

" ' But does your master keep any dogs for tracking 
out niggers ? ' said Haley. 

" Sam knew very well what he meant, but he kept on 
a look of desperate simplicity. ' Wal,' said he, ' our 
dogs all smells round considerable sharp. I 'spect they 's 
the kind, though they ha'n't never had no practice. 
They 's far dogs at most anything though, if you 'd 
get 'em started.' He whistled to Bruno, a great lumber- 
ing Newfoundland dog, who came pitching tumultuously 
toward them. 

" ' You go hang ! ' exclaimed Haley, mounting his 
horse. ' Come, tumble up, now.' 

Sam tumbled up accordingly, contriving to tickle 
Andy as he did so. This made Andy split out into a 
laugh, greatly to Haley's indignation, who made a cut at 
him with his riding-whip. ' I 'se 'stonished at yer, Andy,' 
said Sara, w^ith awfid gravity. ' This yere 's a seris 
bisness, Andy. Yer must n't be a makin' game* This 
yere a'n't no way to help Mas'r.' 

" When they came to the boundaries of the estate, 
Haley said : ' I shall take the road to the river. I know 
the way of all of 'em. They always makes tracks for 
the underground.' 

" ' Sartin, dat 's de idee,' said Sam. ' Mas'r Haley hits 
de thing right in de middle. Now, der's two roads to 
de river, — de dirt road and der pike. Which Mas'r 
mean to take ? ' 

" Andy looked up innocently at Sam, surprised at hear- 
ing this new geographical fact; but he instantly con- 
firmed what Sara said. 

'" I 'd rather be 'clined to 'magine that Lizy 'd take 
der du't road, bein' it 's the least travelled,' said Sam. 
Though Haley was an old bird, and inclined to be sus- 



236 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

picious of cbaff, he was rather brought up by this view 
of the case. He pondered a moment, and said, ' If yer 
was n't both on yer such cussed liars, now ! ' 

" The pensive tone in which this was spoken amused 
Andy prodigiously. He fell a little behind, and shook so 
with laughter as to run a great risk of falling from his 
horse. But Sam's face was immovably composed into 
the most doleful gravity. 

" ' Course, Mas'r can do as he 'd ruther,' said Sam. 
*It's all one to us. When I study 'pon it, I think de 
straight road is de best.' 

" ' She would naturally go a lonesome way,' said 
Haley. 

" •• I should 'magine so,' said Sam ; ' but gals is pecular. 
Dey nebber does nothin' ye thinks they will ; mose 
gen'lly de contrar ; so if yer thinks they 've gone one 
road, it 's sartin you 'd better go t'other, and then you '11 
be suBe to find 'em. So I think we 'd better take de 
straight road.' 

" Haley announced decidedly that he should go the 
other, and asked when they should come to it. 

" * A little piece ahed,' said Sam, giving a wink to 
Andy. He added gravely, ' I 've studded on de matter, 
and I 'm quite clar we ought not to go dat ar way. I 
nebber been over it no way. It 's despit lonesome, and 
we might lose our way. And now I think on 't, I hearn 
'em tell dat ar road was all fenced up down by der creek. 
A'n'tit, Andy?' 

" Andy was n't certain ; he 'd only ' hearn tell ' about 
that road, but had never been over it. 

" Haley thought the first mention of the road was in- 
voluntary on Sam's part, and that, upon second thoughts, 
he had lied desperately to dissuade him from taking that 



SAM AND ANDY. 237 

direction because he was unwilling to implicate Eliza. 
Therefore he struck briskly into the road, and was fol- 
lowed by Sam and Andy. 

" The road in fact had formerly been an old thorough- 
fare to the river, but after the laying of the new pike it 
had been abandoned. It was open for about an hour's 
ride, and after that it was cut across by various farms 
and fences. Sam knew this perfectly well ; indeed, the 
road had been so long closed that Andy had never heard 
of it. He therefore rode along with an air of dutiful sub- 
mission, only groaning occasionally, and saying it was 
*desp't rough, and bad for Jerry's foot.' 

" ' Now, I jest give yer warning, I know yer,' said 
Haley. 'Yer won't get me to turn oiF this yere road, 
with all yer fussin' ; so you shet up." 

" ' Mas'r will go his own way,' said Sam, with rueful 
submission, at the same time winking portentously to 
Andy, whose delight now w^as very near the explosive 
point. Sam was in wonderful spirits. He professed to 
keep a very brisk lookout. At one time he exclaimed 
that he saw ' a gal's bunnet ' on the top of some distant 
eminence ; at another time, he called out to Andy to ask 
if ' that thar was n't Lizy down in the holler.' He was 
always sure to make these exclamations in some rough 
or craggy part of the road, where the sudden quickening 
of speed was a special inconvenience to all parties con- 
cerned, thus keeping Haley in a state of constant com- 
motion. 

"After riding about an hour in this way, the whole 
party made a precipitate and tumultuous descent into a 
barn-yard belonging to a large farming establishment. 
Not a soul was in sight, all the hands being employed 
in the fields ; but as the barn stood square across the road, 



238 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

it was evident that their journey in that direction had 
reached its end. 

" ^ You rascal ! ' said Haley ; ' you knew all about this.' 

" ' Did n't I tell yer I knowed, and yer would n't believe 
me ? ' replied Sam. ' I telled Mas'r 't was all shet up, and 
fenced up, and I did n't 'spect we could git through. Andy 
heard me.' 

" This was too true to be disputed, and the unlucky 
man had to pocket his wrath as well as he could. All 
three faced to the right about, and took up their line of 
march for the highway." 

[The consequence of all these delays was, that they 
reached the Ohio River only in season to see Eliza and 
her child get safely on the other side, by jumping from 
one mass of floating ice to the other.] 

" ' The gal 's got seven devils in her I believe,' said 
Haley. ' How like a wild-cat she jumped ! ' 

" ' Wal, now,' said Sam, scratching his head, ' I hope 
Mas'r 'scuse us tryin' dat ar road. Don't think I feel 
spry enough for dat ar, no way ' ; and Sam gave a hoarse 
chuckle. 

" ' Tou laugh ! ' exclaimed the slave-trader, with a 
growl. 

" ' I could n't help it now, Mas'r/ said Sam, giving way 
to the long pent-up delight of his soul. ' She looked so 
curis, a leapin' and springin' ; ice a crackin' — and only 
to hear her ! plump ! ker chunk ! ker splash ! ' and Sam 
and Andy laughed till the tears rolled down their cheeks. 

"'I'll make yer laugh t' other side yer mouths!' ex- 
claimed the trader, laying about their heads with his 
riding-whip. Both ducked, and ran shouting up the 
bank. They were on their horses before he could come 
up with them. 



SAM AND ANDY. 239 

" With much gravity Sam called out : ' Good evening, 
Mas'r Haley. Won't want us no longer. I 'spect Missis 
be anxious 'bout Jeny. Missis would n't hear of our 
ridin' the critturs over Lizy's bridge to-night.' With a 
poke into Andy's ribs, they started off at full speed, their 
shouts of laughter coming faintly on the wind. 

" Sam was in the highest possible feather. He ex- 
pressed his exultation by all sorts of howls and ejacula- 
tions, and by divers odd motions and contortions of his 
whole system. Sometimes he would sit backward with 
his face to the horse's tail ; then, with a whoop and a 
somerset, he would come right side up in his place again ; 
and, drawing on a grave face, he would begin to lecture 
Andy for laughing and playing the fool. Anon, slapping 
his sides with his arms, he would burst forth in peals of 
laughter, that made the old woods ring as they passed. 
With all these evolutions, he contrived to keep the horses 
up to the top of their speed, until, between ten and eleven, 
their heels resounded on the gravel at the end of the 
balcony. 

" His mistress flew to the railings, and called out, ' Is 
that you, Sam ? Where are they ? ' 

" ' Mas'r Haley 's a restin' at the tavern,' said Sam. 
* He 's drefful fatigued, Missis.* 

" ' And Eliza, where is she, Sam ? ' 

" ' Wal, Missis, de Lord he persarves his own. Lizy 's 
done gone over the river into 'Hio ; as 'markably as if de 
Lord took her over in a chariot of fire and two bosses.' 

" His master, who had followed his wife to the veran- 
dah, said, ' Come up here, and tell your mistress what she 
wants to know.' 

" Sam soon appeared at the parlor-door, hat in hand. 
In answer to their questions, he told his story in lively 



240 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Style. ' Dis yere 's a providence, and no mistake,' said 
Sam, piously rolling up his eyes. ' As Missis has allers 
been instructin' on us, thar 's allers instruments ris up to 
do de Lord's will. Now if it had n't been for me to-day, 
Lizy 'd been took a dozen times. War n't it I started 
off de bosses, dis yere mornin', and kept 'em chasin' till 
dinner time ? And did n't I car Mas'r Haley five miles 
out of de road dis evening ? else he 'd a come up with 
Lizy, as easy as a dog arter a coon. Dese yere 's all 
providences ! ' 

" With as much sternness as he could command under 
the circumstances, his master said, ' They are a kind of 
providences that you '11 have to be pretty sparing of, 
Sam. I allow no such practices with gentlemen on my 
place.' 

" Sam stood with the corners of his mouth lowered, in 
most penitential style. ' Mas'r 's quite right,' said he. 
* It was ugly on me ; thar 's no disputin' that ar ; and 
of course Mas'r and Missis would n't encourage no such 
works. I'm sensible ob dat ar. But a poor nigger like 
me 's 'mazin' tempted to act ugly sometimes, when fellers 
will cut up such shines as dat ar Mas'r Haley. He a'n't 
no gen'l'raan no way. Anybody 's been raised as I 've 
been can't help a seein' dat ar.' 

" ' Well, Sam,' said his mistress, ' as you seem to have 
a proper sense of your errors, you may go now and tell 
Aunt Chloe she may get you some of that cold ham that 
was left of dinner to-day. You and Andy must be 
hungry.' 

" ' Missis is a heap too good for us,' said Sam, making 
his bow with alacrity and departing. 

" Having done up his piety and humility, to the satis- 
faction of the parlor, as he trusted, he clapped his pahn- 



JOHN BROWN AND THE COLORED CHILD. 241 

leaf on his head with a sort of free-and-easy air. and 
proceeded to the dominions of Aunt Chloe, with the in- 
tention of flourishing largely in the kitchen." 



JOHN BROWN AND THE COLORED CHILD. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



[When John Bro-mi went from the jail to the gallows, in Charles- 
town, Virginia, December 2, 1859, lie stooped to kiss a little colored 
child.] 

A WINTER sunshine, still and bright, 
The Blue Hills bathed with golden light, 
And earth was smiling to the sky, 
When calmly he went forth to die. 

Infernal passions festered there. 
Where peaceful Nature looked so fair ; 
And fiercely, in the morning sun, 
Flashed glitt'ring bayonet and gun. 

The old man met no friendly eye. 
When last he looked on earth and sky ;• 
But one small child, with timid air, 
Was gazing on his hoary hair. 

As that dark brow to his upturned. 
The tender heart within him yearned ; 
And, fondly stooping o'er her face, 
He kissed her for her injured race. 

11 p 



242 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

The little one she knew not why 
That kind old man went forth to die ; 
Nor why, 'mid all that pomp and stir, 
He stooped to give a kiss to her. 

But Jesus smiled that sight to see, 
And said, " He did it unto me." 
The golden harps then sweetly rung, 
And this the song the angels sung : 

" Who loves the poor doth love the Lord ; 
Earth cannot dim thy bright reward : 
We hover o'er yon gallows high. 
And wait to bear thee to the sky." 



John Brown, on his way to the scaffold, stooped to take 
up a slave-child. That closing example was the legacy of the 
dying man to his country. That benediction we must con- 
tinue and fulfil. In this new order, equaUty, long postponed, 
shall become the master-principle of our system, and the very 
frontispiece of our Constitution. — Hon. Charles Sumner. 



Christ told me to remember those in bonds as bound 
with them ; to do toward them as I should wish them to do 
toward me in similar circumstances. My conscience bade me 
to do that. Therefore I have no reo;ret for the transaction for 
which I am condemned. I think I feel as happy as Paul did 
when he lay in prison. He knew if they killed him it would 
greatly advance the cause of Christ. That was the reason he 
rejoiced. On that same ground " I do rejoice, yea, and will 
rejoice." — John Brown. 



THE AIR OF FREEDOM. 243 



THE AIR OF FREEDOM. 

BY FRANCES E. W. HARPER. 

[Written at Niagara Falls in 1856.] 

I HAVE just returned from Canada. I have gazed for 
the first time upon free land. Would you believe it ? 
the tears sprang to my eyes, and I wept. It was a glori- 
ous sight to gaze, for the first time, on the land where a 
poor slave, flying from our land of boasted liberty, would 
in a moment find his fetters broken and his shackles 
loosed. Whatever he was in the land of Washington, 
in the shadow of Bunker Hill Monument, or even 
upon Plymouth Rock, here he becomes " a man and a 
brother." 

I had gazed on Harper's Ferry, or rather the Rock at 
the Ferry, towering up in simple grandeur, with the 
gentle Potomac gliding peacefully at its feet ; and I felt 
that it was God's masonry. My soul expanded while 
gazing on its sublimity. I had heard the ocean singing 
its wild chorus of sounding waves, and the living chords 
of my heart thrilled with ecstasy. I have since seen the 
rainbow-crowned Niagara, girdled with grandeur and 
robed with glory, chanting the choral hymn of omnipo- 
tence ; but none of these sights have melted me, as did 
the first sight of free land. 

Towering mountains, lifting their hoary summits to 
catch the first faint flush of day, when the sunbeams kiss 
the shadows from morning's drowsy face, may expand 
and exalt your soul; the first view of the ocean may 



244 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

fill you with strange delight ; the great, the glorious 
Niagara may hush your spirit with its ceaseless thunder, 
— it may charm you with its robe of crested spray, and 
with its rainbow crown : but the land of freedom has 
a lesson of deeper significance than Ibaming waves and 
towering mountains. It carries the heart back to that 
heroic struggle in Great Britain for the emancipation of 
the slaves, in which the great heart of the people throb- 
bed for liberty, and the mighty pulse of the nation beat 
for freedom, till eight hundred thousand men, women, 
and children in the West Indies arose redeemed from 
bondage and freed from chains. 



EMANCIPATION IN THE DISTRICT OF 
COLUMBIA, APRIL i6, 1862. 



BY JAMES MADISON BELL. 



UNFURL your banners to the breeze ! 
Let Freedom's tocsin sound amain, 
Until the islands of the seas 

Re-echo with the glad refrain ! 
Columbia 's free ! Columbia 's free ! 

Her teeming streets, her vine-clad groves, 
Are sacred now to Liberty, 

And God, who every right approves. 

Thank God, the Capital is free ! 

The slaver's pen, the auction-block. 
The gory lash of cruelty, 

No more this nation's pride shall mock ; 



EMANCIPATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 245 

No more, within those ten miles square, 
Shall men be bought and women sold ; 

Nor infants, sable-hued and fair, 
Exchanged again for paltry gold. 

To-day the Capital is free ! 

And free those halls where Adams stood 
To plead for man's humanity, 

And for a common brotherhood ; 
Where Sumner stood, with massive frame, 

"Whose eloquent philosophy 
Has clustered round his deathless name 

Bright laurels for eternity ; 

Where Wilson, Lovejoy, Wade, and Hale, 

And other lights of equal power, 
Have stood, like warriors clad in mail, 

Before the giant of the hour, — 
Co-workers in a common cause, 

Laboring for their country's weal, 
By just enactments, righteous laws. 

And burning, eloquent appeal. 

To them we owe and gladly bring 

The grateful tributes of our hearts ; 
And while we live to muse and sing, 

These in our songs shall claim their parts. 
To-day Columbia's air doth seem 

Much purer than in days agone ; 
And now her mighty heart, I deem. 

Hath lighter grown by marching on. 



246 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



THE LAWS OF HEALTH. 



BY L. MARIA CHILD. 



THERE are three things peculiarly essential to 
health, — plenty of fresh water, plenty of pure air, 
and enouGjh of nourishino: food. 

If possible, the human body should be washed all over 
every day ; but if circumstances render that difficult, the 
operation should be performed at least two or three times 
a week. People in general are not aware how impor- 
tant frequent bathing is. The cuticle, or skin, with 
which the human body is covered, is like fine net-work, 
or lace. By help of a magnifying-glass, called a micro- 
scope, it can be seen that there are a thousand holes in 
every inch of our skin. In the skin of a middle-sized 
man there are two millions three hundred and four 
thousand of these holes, called pores. Those pores are 
the mouths of exceedingly small vessels made to carry 
off fluids, which are continually formed in the human 
body, and need to be continually carried off. This 
process is going on all the time, whether we are sleep- 
ing or waking, hot or cold. When we are cool and at 
rest, that which passes off is invisible ; and because we 
see no signs of it, and are not sensible of it, it is called 
insensible perspiration. But in very hot weather, or 
when we exercise violently, a saltish fluid passes through 
our pores in great drops, which we call sweat ; and be- 
cause we can see and feel it, it is called sensible perspira- 
tion. If the pores of the body are filled up with dust, or 



THE LAWS OF HEALTH. 247 

any kind of dirt, the fluids cannot pass off through them, 
as Nature intended ; and, being shut up, they become 
corrupt and produce fevers and bad humors. This is the 
reason why physicians always advise people to be careful 
and keep their pores open. In order to do this, dust and 
dirt should be frequently washed away. Many a fever 
and many a troublesome sore might be prevented by fre- 
quent bathing. Moreover, the skin looks smoother and 
handsomer when it is washed often. If a pond or river 
is near by, it is well to swim a few minutes every day or 
two ; if not, the body should be washed with a pail of 
water and a rag. But it is not safe to go into cold water, 
or to apply it to the skin, when you are very much 
heated ; nor is it safe to drink much cold water until 
you get somewhat cool. The best way is to plunge into 
water when you first get up in the morning, and then rub 
yourself with a cloth till you feel all of a glow. It takes 
but a few minutes, and you will feel more vigorous for it 
all day. Cool water is more healthy to wash in than 
warm water. It makes a person feel stronger, and it is 
not attended with any danger of catching cold afterward. 
But water directly from the well is too chilly ; it is better 
to use it when it has been standing in the house some 
hours. Garments worn next to the skin, and the sheets 
in which you sleep, imbibe something of the fluids all 
the time passing from the body ; therefore they should 
be washed every week. I am aware that, as slaves, you 
had no beds or sheets ; but as free men I hope you will 
gradually be able to provide yourselves with such com- 
forts. Meanwhile, sleep in tlie cleanest way that you 
can ; for that is one way to avoid sickness. When the 
skin is hot and feverish, it does a great deal of good to 
wipe the face, arms, and legs with a cloth moistened with 



248 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

cool water, changed occasionally. Headache is often 
cured by placing the feet in cool water a minute or two, 
and then rubbing them smartly with a dry cloth. Sit- 
ting in cool water iSfteen or twenty minutes is also a 
remedy for headache or dizziness. A cut or bruise 
heals much quicker if it is soaked ten or fifteen minutes 
in cool water, then wrapped in six or eight folds of wet 
rag, and covered with a piece of dry cloth. The rag 
should be moistened again when it gets dry. This sim- 
ple process subdues the heat and fever of a wound. 
When the throat is sore, it is an excellent thing to wash 
the outside freely with cold water the first thing in the 
morning, and tlien wipe it very dry. A wet bandage at 
night, covered with a dry cloth, to keep it from the air, 
often proves very comforting when the throat is inflamed. 
Indeed, it is scarcely possible to say too much in favor of 
using cool water freely, at suitable times. 

Fresh air is as important as good water. The lungs 
of the human body are all the time drawing in air and 
breathing out air. What we breathe out carries away 
with it something from our bodies. Therefore it is un- 
healthy to be in a room with many people, without doors 
or windows open ; for the people draw in all the fresh air, 
and what they breathe out is more or less corrupted by 
having passed through their bodies. It is very impor- 
tant to health to have plenty of pure fresh air to breathe. 
No dirty things, or decaying substances, such as cab- 
bage-leaves or mouldy vegetables, or pools of stagnant 
water, should be allowed to remain anywhere near a 
dwelling. The pools should be filled up, and the decay- 
ing things should be carried away from the house, heaped 
up and covered with earth to make manure for the gar- 
den. If there is not room enough to do that, they should 



•THE LAWS OF HEALTH. 249 

be buried in the ground. Wliole families often have 
fevers from breathing the bad odors that rise from such 
things. It is morally wrong to indulge in any habits 
that injure the health or well-being of others. The bed, 
and the covermgs of the bed, should have fresh air let in 
upon them every day ; otherwise, they retain the fluids 
which are passing from the body all the time. In Eng- 
land, children that worked in large manufactories became 
pale and sickly and died off fast. When doctors inquired 
into it, they found that the poor little creatures crept into 
the same bedclothes week after week, and month after 
month, without having them washed or aired. 

Occasional change in articles of food is healthy, as 
well as agreeable ; but it is injurious to eat a great va- 
riety of things at the same meal. There are two good 
rules, so very simple that everybody, rich or poor, can 
observe them : First, never indulge yourself in eating 
what you have found by experience does not agree with 
you; secondly, when you have eaten enough, do not 
continue to eat merely because the food tastes good. It 
is foolish to derange the stomach for a long time to please 
the palate for a short time. 

If you have oppressed feelings in the head, or sour and 
bitter tastes in the mouth, or a tendency to sickishness, 
take nothing but bread and water for two or three days, 
and you will be very likely to save yourself from a fever. 

People might spare themselves many a toothache if 
they would rinse their mouths after every meal, and every 
night, before going to bed, remove every particle of food 
from between the teetli, and rinse them thoroughly with 
water. New toothpicks should be made often, for the 
sake of cleanliness. 

Dirt was a necessity of Slavery ; and that is one 
II* 



250 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

reason, among many others, why freemen should hate 
it, and try to put it away from their minds, their persons, 
and their habitations. 



PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S PROCLAMATION OF 
EMANCIPATION, JANUARY i, 1863. 

BY FRANCES E. W. HARPEB. 

IT shall flash through coming ages, 
It shall light the distant years ; 
And eyes now dim with sorrow 

Shall be bri2;hter through their tears. 

It shall flush the mountain ranges, 
And the valleys shall grow bright; 

It shall bathe the hills in radiance. 
And crown their brows with light. 

It shall flood with golden splendor 

All the huts of Caroline ; 
And the sun-kissed brow of labor 

With lustre new shall shine. 

It shall gild the gloomy prison. 
Darkened by the nation's crime. 

Where the dumb and patient millions 
Wait the better-coming time. 

By the light that gilds their prison 
They shall see its mouldering key ; 



NEW-YEAR'S DAY. 251 

And the bolts and bars shall vibrate 
With the triumphs of the free. 

Though the morning seemed to linger 

O'er the hill- tops far away, 
Now the shadows bear the promise 

Of the quickly coming day. 

Soon the mists and murky shadows 
Shall be fringed with crimson light, 

And the glorious dawn, of freedom 
Break refulgent on the sight. 



NEW-YEAR'S DAY ON THE ISLANDS OF 
SOUTH CAROLINA, 1863. 



BY CHARLOTTE L. FORTEN. 



A FEW days before Christmas we were delighted at 
receiving a beautiful Christmas Hymn from John 
G. Whittier, written especially for our children. They 
learned it very easily, and enjoyed singing it. We showed 
them the writer's picture, and told them he was a very 
good friend of theirs, who felt the deepest interest in 
them, and had written this Hymn expressly for them to 
sing. This made them very proud and happy. 

Early Christmas morning we were wakened by the 
people knocking at the doors and windows, and shouting 
" Merry Christmas ! " After distributing some little pres- 
ents among them, we went to the church, which had been 
decorated with holly, pine, cassena, mistletoe, and the 



252 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

hanging moss, and had a very Christmas-like look. The 
children of our school assembled there, and we gave them 
the nice comfortable clothing and the picture-books which 
had been kindly sent by some Philadelphia ladies. There 
were at least a hundred and fifty children present. It 
was very pleasant to see their happy, expectant little 
faces. To them it was a wonderful Christmas-day, such 
as they had never dreamed of before. There was cheer- 
ful sunshine without, lighting up the beautiful moss dra- 
pery of the oaks, and looking in joyously through the 
open windows ; and there were bright faces and glad 
hearts within. 

After the distribution of the gifts, the children were 
addressed by some of the gentlemen present. Then they 
sang the following Hymn, which their good friend Whit- 
tier had written for them : — 

" 0, none in all the world before 
Were ever so glad as we ! 
We 're free on Carolina's shore, 
We 're all at home and free. 

" Thou Friend and Helper of the poor, 
Who suffered for our sake, 
To open every prison-door. 
And every yoke to break, — 

" Bend low thy pitying face and mild, 
And help us sing and pray; 
The hand that blest the little child 
Upon our foreheads lay. 

" We hear no more the driver's horn, 
No more the whip we fear; 
This holy day that saw thee born 
Was never half so dear. 



" The very oaks are greeuer clad, 
The waters brighter smile; 



NEW-YEAR'S DAY. 253 

0, never shone a day so glad 
On sweet St. Helen's Isle. 

" We praise Thee in our songs to-day, 
To Thee in prayer we call ; 
Make swift the feet and straight the way 
Of freedom unto all. 

" Come once again, blessed Lord ! 
Come walking on the sea ! 
And let the mainlands hear the word 
That sets the islands free 1 " 

Then tbej sang John Brown's Hallelujah Song, and sev- 
eral of their own hymns. 

Christmas night, the children came in and had several 
grand shouts. They were too happy to keep still. One 
of them, a cunning, kittenish little creature, named Ama- 
retta, only six years old, has a remarkably sweet voice. 
" O Miss," said she, " all I want to do is to sing and 
shout!" And sins^ and shout she did, to her heart's con- 
tent. She reads nicely, and is very fond of books. Many 
of the children already know their letters. The parents 
are eager to have them learn. They .sometimes say to 
me : " Do, Miss, let de children learn eberyting dey can. 
We neber hab no chance to learn nnttin' ; but we wants 
de chillen to learn." They are willing to make many 
sacrifices that their children may attend school. One old 
woman, who had a large family of children and grand- 
children, came regularly to school in the winter, and took 
her seat among the little ones. Another woman, who 
had one of the best faces I ever saw, came daily, and 
brought her baby in her arms. It happened to be one 
of the best babies in the world, and allowed its mother to 
pursue her studies without interruption. 

New-Year's Day, Emanci})ation Day, was a glorious 



254 THE FEEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

one to us. General Saxton and Colonel Higginson had 
invited us to visit the camp of the First Regiment of 
South Carolina Volunteers on that day, " the greatest 
day in the nation's history." We enjoyed perfectly the 
exciting scene on board the steamboat Flora. There was 
an eager, wondering crowd of the freed people, in their 
holiday attire, with the gayest of headkerchiefs, the 
whitest of aprons, and the happiest of faces. The 
band was playing, the flags were streaming, and every- 
body was talking merrily and feeling happy. The sun 
shone brightly, and the very waves seemed to partake of 
the universal gayety, for they danced and sparkled more 
joyously than ever before. Long before we reached 
Camp Saxton, we could see the beautiful grove and the 
ruins of the old fort near it. Some companies of the 
First Regiment were drawn up in line under the trees 
near the landing, ready to receive us. They were a fine, 
soldierly looking set of men, and their brilliant dress made 
a splendid appearance among the trees. It was my good 
fortune to find an old friend among the ofiicers. He took 
us over the camp and showed us all the arrangements. 
Everything looked ch^an and comfortable ; much neater, 
we were told, than in most of the white camps. An offi- 
cer told us that he had never seen a regiment in which 
the men were .^o honest. " In many other camps," said 
he, " the Colonel and the rest of us would find it neces- 
sary to place a guard before our tents. We never do it 
here. Our tents are left entirely unguarded, but nothing 
has ever been touched." We were glad to know that. 
It is a remarkable fact, when we consider that the men 
of this regiment have all their lives been slaves ; for we 
all know that Slavery does not tend to make men honest. 
The ceremony in honor of Emancipation took place in 



NEW-YEAR'S DAY. 255 

the beautiful grove of live-oaks adjoining the camp. I 
wish it were possible to describe fitly the scene which 
met our eyes, as we sat upon the stand, and looked down 
on the crowd before us. There were the black" soldiers 
in their blue coats and scarlet pantaloons ; the officers of 
the First Regiment, and of other regiments, in their hand- 
some uniforms ; and there were crowds of lookers-on, men, 
women, and children, of every complexion, grouped in 
various attitudes, under the moss-hung trees. The faces 
of all wore a happy, interested look. The exercises com- 
menced with a prayer by the chaplain of the regiment. 
An ode, written for the occasion, was then read and sung. 
President Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation was 
then read, and enthusiastically cheered. The Rev. Mr. 
French presented Colonel Higginson with two very ele- 
gant flags, a gift to the First Regiment, from the Church 
of the Puritans, in New York. He accompanied them 
by an appropriate and enthusiastic speech. As Colonel 
Higginson took the flags, before he had time to reply to 
the speech, some of the colored people, of their own ac- 
cord, began to sing, — 

" My country, 't is of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty, 
Of thee we sing! " 

It was a touching and beautiful incident, and sent a thrill 
through all our hearts. The Colonel was deeply moved 
by it. He said that reply was far more effective than 
any speech he could make. But he did make one of 
those stirring speeches which are " half battles." All 
hearts swelled with emotion as we listened to his glorious 
words, " stirring the soul like the sound of a trumpet.'' 
His soldiers are warmly attached to him, and he evidently 
feels toward them all as if they were his children. 



256 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

General Saxton spoke also, and was received with 
great enthusiasm. Throughout the morning, repeated 
cheers were given for him by the regiment, and joined 
in heartily by all the people. They know him to be one 
of the best and noblest men in the world. His unfailing 
kindness and con:?ideration for them, so different from the 
treatment they have sometimes received at the hands 
of United States officers, have caused them to have un- 
bounded confidence in him. 

At the close of Colonel Higginson's speech, he pre- 
sented the flags to the color-bearers, Sergeant Rivers and 
Sergeant Sutton, with an earnest charge, to which they 
made appropriate replies. 

Mrs. Gage uttered some earnest words, and then the 
regiment sang John Brown's Hallelujah Song. 

After the meeting was over, we saw the dress-parade, 
which was a brilliant and beautiful sight. An officer told 
us that the men went through the drill remarkably well, 
and learned the movements with wonderful ease and ra- 
pidity. To us it seemed strange as a miracle to see this 
regiment of blacks, the first mustered into the service of 
the United States, thus doing itself honor in the sight 
of officers of other regiments, many of whom doubtless 
came to scoff. The men afterward had a great feast ; ten 
oxen having been roasted whole, for their especial benefit. 

In the evening there was the softest, loveliest moon- 
light. We were very unwilling to go home ; for, besides 
the attractive society, we knew that the soldiers were to 
have grand shouts and a general jubilee that night. But 
the steamboat was coming, and we were obliged to bid a 
reluctant farewell to Camp Saxton and the hospitable 
dwellers therein. We walked the deck of the steamer 
singing patriotic songs, and we agreed that moonlight and 



SONG OF THE NEGRO BOATMEN. 257 

water had never looked so beautiful as they did that 
night. At Beaufort we took the row-boat for St. Helena. 
The boatmen as they rowed sang some of their sweetest, 
wildest hymns. It was a fitting close to such a day. 
Our hearts were filled with an exceeding great gladness ; 
for although the government had left much undone, we 
knew that Freedom was surely born in our land that day. 
It seemed too glorious a good to realize, this beginning 
of the great work we had so longed for and prayed for. 
It was a sight never to be forgotten, that crowd of happy 
black faces from which the shadow of Slavery had for- 
ever passed. " Forever free ! forever free ! " — those 
magical words in the President's Proclamation were con- 
stantly singing themselves in my soul. 




SONG OF THE NEGRO BOATMEN AT PORT 

.ROYAL, S. C. 

BY JOHN G. WHITTIER. 

PRAISE and tanks ! De Lord he come 
To set de people free ; 
An' massa tink it day ob doom, 

An' we ob jubilee. 
De Lord dat heap de Red Sea waves, 

He jus' as 'trong as den ; 
He say de word : we las' night slaves ; * 

To-day, de Lord's free men. 

De yam will grow, de cotton blow. 

We '11 hab de rice an' corn : 
O nebber you fear, if nebber you hear 
De driver blow his horn ! 

Q 



258 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

Ole massa on he trabbels gone ; 

He leaf de land behind : 
De Lord's brefF blow him furder on, 

Like corn-shuck in de wind. 
"We own de hoe, we own de plough, 

We own de hands dat hold ; 
We sell de pig, we sell de cow, 

But nebber chile be sold. 

We pray de Lord : he gib us signs 

Dat some day we be free ; 
De Norf-wind tell it to de pines, 

De wild-duck to de sea ; 
We tink it when de church-bell ring, 

We dream it in de dream ; 
De rice-bird mean it when he sing, 

De easle when he scream. 



o 



We know de promise nebber fail. 

An' nebber lie de Word ; 
So, like de 'postles in de jail. 

We waited for de Lord : 
An' now he open ebery door, 

An' trow away de key ; 
He tink we lub him so before, 
We lub him better free. 

De yam will grow, de cotton blow. 

He '11 gib de rice an' corn : 
O nebber you fear, if nebber you hear 
De driver blow his horn ! 



WILSON'S SPEECH. 259 



EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY HON. HENRY 
WILSON TO THE COLORED PEOPLE IN 
CHARLESTON, S. C, APRIL, 1865. 

" I T'QR twenty-nine years, in private life and in pub- 
X lie life, at all times and on all occasions, I have 
spoken and voted against Slavery, and in favor of the 
freedom of every man that breathes God's air or walks 
His earth. And to-day, standing here in South Carolina, 
I feel that the slave-power we have fought so long is 
under my heel ; and that the men and women held in 
bondage so lonj!: are free forevermore. 

*' Understanding this to be your position, — that you are 
forever free, — remember, O remember, the sacrifices that 
have been made for your freedom, and be worthy of the 
blessing that has come to you ! I know you will be. 
[Cheers.] Through these four years of bloody war, you 
have always been loyal to the old flag of the country. 
You have never betrayed the Union soldiers who were 
fighting the battles of the country. You have guided 
them, you have protected them, you have cheered them. 
Y"ou have proved yourselves worthy the great situation 
in which you were placed by the Slaveholders' Rebellion. 
Four years ago you saw the flag of your country struck 
down from Fort Sumter; yesterday you saw the old flag go 
up again. Its stars now beam with a brighter lustre. Y^'ou 
know now what the old flag means, — that it means lib- 
erty to every man and woman in the country. [Cheers.] 
" You have been patient, you have endured, you have 
trusted in God and your country ; and the God of our 



260 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

fathers has blessed our country, and He has blessed you. 
The long, dreary, chilly night of Slavery has passed away 
forevermore, and the sun of Liberty casts its broad beams 
upon you to-day. 

" But your duties commence with your liberties. Re- 
member that you are to be obedient, faithful, true, and 
loyal to the country forevermore. [Cheers, and cries 
of ' Yes ! ' ' Yes ! ' ' Yes ! '] Kemember that you are to 
educate your children ; that you are to improve their con- 
dition ; that you are to make a brighter future for them 
than the past has been to you. Remember that you are 
to be industrious. Freedom does not mean that you are 
not to work. It means that when you do work you shall 
have pay for it, to carry home to your wives and the chil- 
dren of your love. Liberty means the liberty to work for 
yourselves, to have the fruits of your labor, to better your 
own condition, and improve the condition of your children. 
I want every man and woman to understand that every 
neglect of duty, every failure to be industrious, to be 
economical, to support yourselves, to take care of your 
families, to secure the education of your children, will be 
put in the faces of your friends as a reproach. Your old 
masters will point you out and say to us, ' "We told you 
so.' For more than thirty years we have said that you 
were fit for liberty. "We have maintained it amid obloquy 
and reproach. For maintaining this doctrine in the halls 
of Congress our names have been made a by-word. The 
great lesson for you in the future is to prove that we were 
right ; to prove that you were worthy of liberty. We 
simply ask you, in the name of your friends, in the name 
of our country, to show by your good conduct, and by 
efforts to improve your condition, that you were worthy 
of freedom ; to prove to all the world, even to your old 



JUDGE KELLY'S SPEECH. 26J 

masters and mistresses, that it was a sin against God to 
hold you in Slavery, and that you are worthy to have 
your names enrolled among the freemen of the United 
States of America. [Greet cheering.] 

" We want you to respect yourselves ; to walk erect, 
with the consciousness that you are free men. Be hu- 
mane and kind to each other, always serving each other 
when you can. Be courteous and gentlemanly to every- 
body on earth, black and white, but cringe to nobody. 

" You have helped us to fight our battles ; you have 
stood by the old flag ; you have given us your prayers ; 
and you have had the desire of your hearts fulfilled. The 
cause of freedom has triumphed ; and in our triumph we 
want all to stand up and rejoice together." 



EXTRACT FROM A SPEECH BY HON. JUDGE 
KELLY TO THE COLORED PEOPLE IN 
CHARLESTON, S. C, APRIL, 1865. 

" T ^I^^ ^ot, my colored friends, talk to you of the 
J. past. You understand that all too well. I turn to 
the hopeful future*; not to flatter you for the deeds you 
have done during the last four years, but to remind you 
that, though you no longer have earthly masters, there is 
a Ruler in heaven whom you are bound to obey, — that 
Great Being who strengthened and guided your eminent 
friend William Lloyd Garrison, who trained Abraham 
Lincoln for his great work, in honest poverty and simple- 
mindedness ; that good God whose stars shine the same 
over the slaves' huts and the masters' j^alaces. His laws 



262 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

you must obey. You must worship Him not only at the 
altar, but in every act of your daily life. It will not be 
enough to observe the Sabbath, to go to Him with your 
sorrows, and remember Him in your joys. You must re- 
member that He has said to man, ' In the sweat of thy 
brow shalt thou eat thy bread.' Labor is the law of all. 
Your friends in the North appeal to you to help them 
in the great work they undertook to do for you. "We 
want you to work with us. We want you to do it by 
working here in South Carolina, earning wages, taking 
care of your money, and making profit out of that money. 
Work on the plantation, if that is all you can do. If you 
can work in the workshop, do it, and work well. He who 
does a day's work not so well as he might have done it, 
cheats himself. Strive that your work on Monday shall 
be better done than it was on Saturday ; and when Satur- 
day comes round again, you will be able to do a still more 
skilful day's work. We at the North sometimes learn 
three or four trades. If any one of you feels sure that 
he can do better for himself and his family by changing 
his pursuit, he had better change it." 

"I like to look at the women assembled here. Re- 
member, my friends, that you are to be mothers and 
wives in the homes of free men. You must try to make 
those homes respectable and happy. You are to be the 
mothers of American citizens. You must give them the 
best education you can. You must strive to make them 
intelligent, educated, moral, patriotic, and religious men. 
Many of you cannot read, but you are not too old yet to 
learn. A mother who knows how to read can half edu- 
cate her own child by helping him with his lessons ; and 
the mother who has but little learning will get a great 
deal more by trying to hear the child's lessons ; and so it 
is with the father. 



BLACK TOM. 263 

" You need no longer live in slave huts, now that you 
are to have your own earnings. I charge you, men, to 
make your homes comfortable, and you, women, to make 
them happy. Work industriously. Be faithful to each 
other ; be true and honest with all men. K you respect 
yourselves, others will respect you. There are Northern- 
ers who are prejudiced against you ; but yo i can find the 
way to their hearts and consciences throug'; their pock- 
ets. When they find that there are colored tradesmen 
who have money to spend, and colored farmers v/!io want 
to buy goods of them, they will no longer call you Jack 
and Joe ; they will begin to think that you are Mi*. John 
Black and Mr. Joseph Brown." [Great laughter.] 




BLACK TOM. 

BY A YANKEE SOLDIER. 

UNTED by his Rebel master 
Over many a hill and glade, 
Black Tom, with his wife and children. 
Found his way to our brigade. 

Tom had sense and truth and courage. 
Often tried where danger rose : 

Once our flag his strong arm rescued 
From the grasp of Rebel foes. 

One day, Tom was marching with us 
Through the forest as our guide, 

When a ball from traitor's rifle 

Broke his arm and pierced his side. 



264 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

On a litter white men bore tim 

Through the forest drear and damp, 

Laid him, dying, where our banners 
Brightly fluttered o'er our camp. 

Pointing to his wife and chifdren, 
While he suffered racking pain. 

Said he to our soldiers round him, 
" Don't let them be slaves again ! " 

" No, by Heaven ! " spoke out a soldier, 
And that oath was not profane, — 

" Our brigade will still protect them ; 
They shall ne'er be slaves again." 

Over old Tom's dusky features 
Came and stayed a joyous ray ; 

And with saddened friends around him, 
His free spirit passed away. 



At Kodman's Point, in North Carolina, the United States 
troops were obhged to retreat before Rebels, who outnumbered 
them ten to one. The scow in which they attempted to es- 
cape stuck in the mud, and could not be moved with poles. 
While the soldiers were lying down they were in some meas- 
ure protected from Rebel bullets ; but whoever jumped into 
the water to push the boat off would certainly be killed. A 
vigorous black man who was with them said: "Lie still. I 
will push off the boat. If they kDl me, it is nothing ; but you 
are soldiers, and are needed to fight for the country." He 
leaped overboard, pushed off the boat, and sprang back, 
pierced by seven bullets. He died two days after. 

I wish I knew his name ; for it deserves to be recorded with 
the noblest heroes the world has known. 



LETTER FROM A FREEDMAN. 265 



LETTER FROM A FREEDMAN TO HIS OLD 

MASTER. 

[Written just as he dictated it.] 

Dayton, Ohio, August 7, 1865. 
To my old Master, Colonel P. H. Anderson, Big 
Spring, Tennessee. 

SIR: I got your letter, and was glad to find that 
you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you 
wanted me to come back and live with you again, prom- 
ising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have 
often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees 
would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs 
they found at your house. I suppose they never heard 
about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union 
soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Al- 
though you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not 
want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are 
siill living. It would do me good to go back to the dear 
old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and 
Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them 
all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, 
if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all 
when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one 
of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot 
me if he ever got a chance. 

I want to know particularly what the good chance 

is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well 

here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals 

and clothing ; have a comfortable home for Mandy, — 

12 



266 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

the folks call her Mrs. Anderson, — and the children — • 
Milly, Jane, and Grundy — go to school and are learn- 
ing well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a 
preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and 
me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. 
Sometimes we overhear others saying, " Them colored 
people were slaves " down in Tennessee. The children 
feel hurt when they hear such remarks ; but I tell them 
it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel An- 
derson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I 
used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write 
and say what wages you will give me, I will be better 
able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to 
move back again. 

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is 
nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers 
in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal- General of the Depart- 
ment of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid 
to go back without some proof that you were disposed 
to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to 
test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages 
for the time we served you. This will make us forget 
and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friend- 
ship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two 
years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars 
a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our 
earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred 
and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time 
our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you 
paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and 
pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show 
what we are in justice entitled to. Please send tlie 
money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., 



LETTER FROM A FREEDMAN. 267 

Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors 
in the past, we can have little faith iu your promises in 
the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your 
eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done 
to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for gen- 
erations without recompense. Here I draw my wages 
every Saturday night ; but in Tennessee there was never 
any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses 
and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for 
those who defraud the laborer of his hire. 

In answering this letter, please state if there would 
be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown 
up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was 
with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay 
here and starve — and die, if it come to that — than 
have my girls brought to shame by the violence and 
wickedness of their young masters. You will also please 
state if there has been any schools opened for the colored 
children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my 
life now is to give my children an education, and have 
them form virtuous habits. 

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking 
the pistol from you when you were shooting at me. 
From your old servant, 

JouRDON Anderson. 



Sergeant W. H. Carney, of New Bedford, Massachu- 
setts, was very severely wounded when the famous Fifty- 
Fourth Regiment attacked Fort Wagner ; but he resolutely 
held up the Stars and Stripes, as he dragged his wounded 
hmb along, amid a shower of bullets ; and when he reached 
his comrades he exclaimed exultingly, " The dear old flag hcvs 
never touched the ground, boys ! " 



268 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 



COLONEL ROBERT G. SHAW. 

BY ELIZA B. SEDGWICK. 

[In the summer of 1863 an attack was made on Fort Wagner, in 
South CaroUna, by the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, composed of 
colored troops. Their leader. Colonel Shaw, belonging to one of 
the best white families in Boston, was killed. When his friends asked 
for his body, the reply of the Rebels was, " He is buried with his 
niggers."] 

BURIED with a band of brothers, 
Who for him woukl fain have died ; 
Buried with the gallant fellows 
Who fell fighting by his side. 

Buried with the men God gave him, — 
Those whom he was sent to save ; 
Buried with the martyred heroes, 
He has found an honored grave. 

Buried where his dust so precious 
Makes the soil a hallowed spot ; 
Buried where by Christian patriot 
He shall never be forgot. 

Buried in the ground accursed, 
Which man's fettered feet have trod ; 
Buried where his voice still speaketh, 
Appealing for the slave to God. 

Fare thee well, thou noble warrior ! 
W^ho in youthful beauty went 
On a high and holy mission, 
By the God of battles sent. 



ADVICE FROM AN OLD FRIEND. 269 

Choseu of Him, " elect and precious," 
Well didst thou fulfil thy part ; 
When thy country " counts her jewels," 
She shall wear thee on her heart. 



ADVICE FROM AN OLD FRIEND. 



BT L. MARIA CHILD. 



FOR many years I have felt great sympathy for you, 
my brethren and sisters, and I have tried to do 
what I could to help you to freedom. And now that you 
have at last received the long-desired blessing, I most 
earnestly wish that you should make the best possible 
use of it. I have made this book to encourage you to 
exertion by examples of what colored people are capable 
of doing. Such men and women as Toussaint I'Ouver- 
ture, Benjamin Banneker, Phillis Wheatley, Frederick 
Douglass, and William and Ellen Crafts, prove that the 
power of character can overcome all external disadvanta- 
ges, even that most crushing of all disadvantages. Slavery. 
Perhaps few of you will be able to stir the hearts of large 
assemblies by such eloquent appeals as those of Frederick 
Douglass, or be able to describe what you have seen and 
heard so gracefully as Charlotte L. Forten does. Proba- 
bly none of you will be called to govern a state as Tous- 
saint rOuverture did ; for such a remarkable career as 
his does not happen once in hundreds of years. But the 
Bible says, " He that ruleth his own spirit is greater than 
he that ruleth a kingdom " ; and such a ruler every man 
and woman can become, by the help and blessing of God. 



270 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

It is not the greatness of the thing a man does which 
makes him worthy of respect; it is the doing well whatso- 
ever he hath to do. In many respects, your opportuni- 
ties for usefuhiess are more limited than those of others; 
but you have one great opportunity peculiar to your- 
selves. You can do a vast amount of good to people in 
various parts of the world, and through successive gener- 
ations, by simply being sober, industrious, and honest. 
There are still many slaves in Brazil and in the Span- 
ish possessions. If you are vicious, lazy, and careless, 
their masters will excuse themselves for continuino; to 
hold them in bondage, by saying : " Look at the freedmen 
of the United States ! What idle vagabonds they are ! 
How dirty their cabins are ! How slovenly their dress ! 
That proves that negroes cannot take care of themselves, 
that they are not fit to be free." But if your houses 
look neat, and your clothes are clean and whole, and 
your gardens well weeded, and your work faithfully done, 
whether for yourselves or others, then all the woi'ld will 
cry out, " You see that negroes ca7i take care of them- 
selves ; and it is a sin and a shame to keep such men in 
Slavery." Thus, while you are serving your own inter- 
ests, you will be helping on the emancipation of poor 
weary slaves in other parts of the world. It is a great 
privilege to have a chance to do extensive good by such 
simple means, and your Heavenly Father will hold you 
responsible for the use you make of your influence. 

Your manners will have a great effect in producing an 
impression to your advantage or disadvantage. Be al- 
ways respectful and polite toward your associates, and 
toward those who have been in the habit of considering 
you an inferior race. It is one of the best ways to prove 
that you are not inferior. Never allow yourselves to say 



ADVICE FROM AN OLD FRIEND. 271 

or do anything in the presence of women of your own 
color which it would be improper for you to say or do 
in the presence of the most refined white ladies. Such 
a course will be an education for them as well as for 
yourselves. When you appoint committees about your 
schools and other public affairs, it would be wise to have 
both men and women on the committees. The habit of 
thinking and talking about serious and important matters 
makes women more sensible and discreet. Such consulta- 
tions together aie in fact a practical school both for you 
and them ; and the more modest and intelligent women 
are, the better will children be brought up. 

Personal appearance is another important thing. It is 
not necessary to be rich in order to dress in a becoming 
manner. A pretty dress for festival occasions will last a 
long while, if well taken care of; and a few wild-flowers, 
or bright berries, will ornament young girls more taste- 
fully than jewels. Working-clothes that are clean and 
nicely patched always look respectable ; and they make 
a very favorable impression, because they indicate that 
the wearer is neat and economical. And here let me say, 
that it is a very great saving to mend garments well, and 
before the rents get large. We thrifiy Yankees have a 
saying that " a stitch in time saves nine " ; and you will 
find by experience that neglected mending will require 
more than nine stitches instead of one, and will not look 
so well when it is done. 

The appearance of your villages will do much to pro- 
duce a favorable opinion concerning your characters and 
capabilities. Whitewash is not expensive ; and it takes 
but little time to transplant a cherokee rose, a jessamine, 
or other wild shrubs and vines, that make the poorest 
cabin look beautiful ; and, once planted, they will be 



272 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

growing while you are working or sleeping. It is a 
public benefit to remove everything dirty or unsightly, 
and to surround homes with verdure and flowers ; for a 
succession of pretty cottages makes the whole road pleas- 
ant, and cheers all passers by ; while they are at the same 
time an advertisement, easily read by all men, that the 
people who live there are not lazy, slovenly, or vulgar. 
The rich pay a great deal of money for pictures to orna- 
ment their wails, but a whitewashed cabin, with flower- 
ing-shrubs and vines clustering round it, is a pretty 
picture freely exhibited to all men. It is a public bene- 
faction. 

But even if you are as yet too poor to have a house 
and garden of your own, it is still in your power to be a 
credit and an example to your race: by working for others 
as faithfully as you would work for yourself ; by taking as 
good care of their tools as you would if they were your 
own ; by always keeping your promises, however incon- 
venient it may be ; by being strictly honest in all your 
dealings ; by being temperate in your habits, and never 
speaking a profane or indecent word, — by pursuing such 
a course you will be consoled with an inward conscious- 
ness of doing right in the sight of God, and be a public 
benefactor by your example, while at the same time you 
wdll secure respect and prosperity for yourself by estab- 
lishing a good character. A man whose conduct inspires 
confidence is in a fair way to have house and land of his 
own, even if he starts in the world witliout a single cent. 

Be careful of your earnings, and as saving in your 
expenses as is consistent with health and comfort ; but 
never allow yourselves to be stingy. Avarice is a mean 
vice, which eats all the heart out of a man. Money is a 
good thing, and you ought to want to earn it, as a means 



ADVICE FROM AN OLD FRIEND. 273 

of improving the condition of yourselves and families. 
But it will do good to your character, and increase your 
happiness, if you impart a portion of your earnings to 
others who are in need. Help as much as you con- 
veniently can in building churches and school-houses for 
the good of all, and in providing for the sick and the 
aged. If your former masters and mistresses are in 
trouble, show them every kindness in your power, 
whether they have treated you kindly or not. Re- 
member the. words of the blessed Jesus : " Do good to 
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully 
use you and persecute you." 

There is one subject on which I wish to guard you 
against disappointment. Do not be discouraged if freedom 
brings you more cares and fewer advantages than you ex- 
pected. Such a great change as it is from Slav'ery to Free- 
dom cannot be completed all at once. By being brought 
up as slaves, you have formed some bad habits, which it 
will take time to correct. Those who were formerly 
your masters have acquired still worse habits by being 
brought up as slaveholders ; and they cannot be ex- 
pected to change all at once. Both of you will gradu- 
ally improve under the teaching of new circumstances. 
For a good while it will provoke many of them to see 
those who were once their slaves acting like freemen. 
They will doubtless do many things to vex and discour- 
age you, just as the slaveholders in Jamaica did after 
emancipation there. They seemed to want to drive 
their emancipated bondmen to insurrection, that they 
might have a pretext for saying: "You see what a bad 
effect freedom has on negroes ! We told you it would be 
so ! " But the colored people of Jamaica behaved better 
than their former masters wished them to do. They left 
12* B 



274 THE FKEEDMEN'S BOOK. 

the plantations where they were badly treated, or poorly 
paid, but they worked diligently elsewhere. Their women 
and children raised vegetables and fowls and carried them 
to market ; and, by their united industry and economy, 
they soon had comfortable little homes of their own. 

I think it would generally be well for you to work for 
your former masters, if they treat you well, and pay you 
as much as you could earn elsewhere. But if they show 
a disposition to oppress you, quit their service, and work 
for somebody who will treat you like freemen. If they 
use violent language to you, never use impudent lan- 
guage to them. If they cheat you, scorn to cheat them 
in return. If they break their promises, never break 
yours. If they propose to women such connections as 
used to be common under the bad system of Slavery, 
teach them that freedwomen not only have the legal 
power to protect themselves from such degradation, but 
also that they have pride of character. If in fits of 
passion, they abuse your children as they formerly did, 
never revenge it by any injury to them or their property. 
It is an immense advantage to any man always to keep 
the right on his side. If you pursue this course you will 
always be superior, however rich or elegant may be the 
man or woman who wrongs you. 

I do not mean by this that you ought to submit tamely 
to insult or oppression. Stand up for your rights, but do 
it in a manly way. Quit working for a man who speaks 
to you contemptuously, or who tries to take a mean ad- 
vantage of you, when you are doing your duty faithfully 
by him. If it becomes necessary, apply to magistrates to 
protect you and redress your wrongs. If you are so un- 
lucky as to live where the men in authority, whether 
civil or military, are still disposed to treat the colored 



ADVICE FROM AN OLD FRIEND. 275 

people as slaves, let the most intelligent among you draw- 
up a statement of your grievances and send it to some of 
your firm friends in Congress, such as the Hon. Charles 
Sumner, the Hon. Henry Wilson, and the Hon. George 
W. Julian. 

A good government seeks to make laws that will 
equally protect and restrain all men. Heretofore you 
had no reason to respect the laws of this country, be- 
cause they puni.^hed you for crime, in many cases more 
severely than white men were punished, while they did 
nothing to protect your rights. But now that good Pres- 
ident Lincoln has made you free, you will be legally pro- 
tected in your rights and restrained from doing wrong, 
just as other men are protected and restrained. It is 
one of the noblest privileges of freemen to be able to 
respect the law, and to rely upon it always for redress of 
grievances, instead of revenging one wrong by another 
wronor. 

You w^ill have much to put up with before the new 
order of things can become settled on a permanent foun- 
dation. I am grieved to read in the newspapers how 
w^ickedly you are still treated in some places ; but I am 
not surprised, for I knew that Slavery was a powerful 
snake, that would try to do mischief with its tail after its 
head was crushed. But, whatever wrongs you may en- 
dure, comfort yourselves with two reflections : first, that 
there is the beginning of a better state of things, from 
which your children will derive much more benefit than 
you can ; secondly, that a great majority of the Ameri- 
can people are sincerely determined that you shall be 
protected in your rights as freemen. Tear by year your 
condition will improve. Year by year, if you respect 
yourselves, you will be more and more respected by white 



276 THE FREEDMEN'S BOOK. 

men. Wonderful changes have taken place in your favor 
during the last thirty years, and the changes are still 
going on. The Abolitionists did a great deal for you, by 
their continual writing and preaching against Slavery. 
Then this war enabled thousands of people to see for 
themselves what a bad institution Slavery was ; and the 
uniform kindness with which you treated the Yankee sol- 
diers raised you up multitudes of friends. There are 
still many pro-slavery people in the Northern States, 
who, from aristocratic pride or low vulgarity, still call 
colored people " niggers," and treat them as such. But 
the good leaven is now fairly worked into public senti- 
ment, and these people, let them do what they will, can- 
not get it out. 

The providence of God has opened for you an upward 
path. Walk ye in it, without being discouraged by the 
brambles and stones at the outset. Those who come 
after you will clear them away, and will place in their 
stead strong, smooth rails for the steam-car called Pro- 
gress of the Colored Race. 



DAY OF JUBILEE. 277 



DAY OF JUBILEE. 

BY A. G. DtTNCAN. 

ROLL on, thou joyful day, 
When tyranny's proud sway, 
Stern as the grave. 
Shall to the ground be hurled, 
And Freedom's flag unfurled 
Shall wave throughout the world, 
O'er every slave ! 

Trump of glad jubilee, 
Echo o'er land and sea, 

Freedom for all ! 
Let the glad tidings fly. 
And every tribe reply, 
Glory to God on high, 

At Slavery's fall ! 



THE END. 



Cambridge : Stereotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, tk Co. 



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